Movie theater ticket sales for March hit all-time low due to coronavirus
As the monthslong coronavirus pandemic has emptied Korean theaters, the number of moviegoers in the country dropped to an all-time low in March, data showed Monday.A total of 1.83 million people went to the cinema last month, plunging 87.5 percent from the 14.7 million tallied a year ago, according to data from the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
It is the lowest monthly box-office number since Kofic started to compile such data in 2004.
The total revenue nosedived 88 percent on year to 15.2 billion won ($12.5 million) in March.
A record low of 310,000 people saw homegrown films in March, down 95.1 percent on year, while foreign flicks attracted 1.52 million viewers over the same period, down 81.8 percent from a year earlier.
The sharp drop in the number of ticket sales is attributable to the outbreak of Covid-19 in Korea, which has kept film buffs at home.
Dozens of movies have postponed scheduled premieres, while major multiplex chains like CGV have closed some theaters.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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