Korean film sales, admissions plunge 40%

Mar 03, 2026, 10:15 am

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Scenes from “Zombie Daughter” (left) and “Zootopia 2,” the top-grossing Korean and foreign films of last year, respectively. / Provided by NEW and Walt Disney Company Korea

Revenue and admissions for Korean films plunged nearly 40 percent last year compared with the previous year, underscoring the deepening slump in the domestic film industry.

According to the “2025 Korean Film Industry Report” released Feb. 27 by the Korean Film Council, total box office revenue reached 1.047 trillion won ($780 million) with 106.09 million admissions, down 12.4 percent and 13.8 percent, respectively, from a year earlier.

Despite the decline, overall revenue and admissions narrowly remained above the symbolic thresholds of 1 trillion won and 100 million viewers, thanks to a string of box office hits in the second half of the year. These included the Korean film Zombie Daughter and foreign titles such as F1 The Movie, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash.

In 2025, Korean films generated 419.1 billion won in revenue and attracted 43.58 million viewers — a steep drop of 39.4 percent and 39.0 percent, respectively, from 2024. Market share for local films fell to around 40 percent, and not a single Korean title surpassed 10 million admissions.

By contrast, foreign films posted revenue of 627.9 billion won and 62.51 million admissions, up 24.7 percent and 21.0 percent year-on-year.

Special-format screenings such as IMAX and 4D saw strong growth, with revenue surging 46.3 percent to 110 billion won from 75.9 billion won the previous year. However, the average number of annual moviegoings per person declined to 2.08 from 2.40.

Overseas exports of completed Korean films rose 19.9 percent to $50.28 million, compared with $41.93 million a year earlier, driven mainly by demand in Asian markets including Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The Korean Film Council said that while overall theater visits decreased, audiences showed a more selective and concentrated viewing pattern, focusing on major tentpole releases rather than mid- to low-budget productions.

#Korean Film Council #Korean film industry 2025 #Zombie Daughter #Zootopia 2