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South Korea's domestic film industry showed signs of recovery in April for the first time in three months, buoyed by the strong performances of The Match and Yadang: The Snitch. However, total box office figures—including foreign films—fell to their lowest level since the end of social distancing measures in 2022.
According to data released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on May 16, domestic films attracted 3.83 million moviegoers in April, generating ₩36.1 billion in revenue. Compared to March, that marked a sharp rise of 129.6% in attendance (up 2.16 million viewers) and a 129.8% increase in sales (up ₩20.4 billion), reversing the steady decline seen from January through March.
KOFIC attributed the turnaround largely to the success of The Match and Yadang: The Snitch, which premiered on March 26 and April 16, respectively. During April, The Match drew 2.12 million viewers, while Yadang attracted 1.84 million.
Despite this rebound, the numbers fell short of last April, when The Roundup: Punishment dominated theaters and surpassed 10 million admissions. Compared to that month, April 2025 saw a 41.8% drop in attendance (down 3.9 million) and a 43.1% decrease in revenue (down ₩38.8 billion) for Korean films.
Foreign films, which lacked standout releases, also underperformed. Attendance fell 41.4% year-over-year to 1.61 million, while revenue dropped 42.8% to ₩15.1 billion. As a result, total moviegoers for April—including both domestic and foreign films—stood at 5.44 million with ₩51.2 billion in total revenue, marking the lowest figures since the pandemic-era restrictions were lifted in 2022.
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