Now is the golden age of special theaters!

Aug 13, 2026, 09:39 am

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The movie "The Odyssey" has sparked an IMAX viewing frenzy worldwide, including in South Korea. Director Christopher Nolan (fourth from left) is pictured inspecting a 70mm IMAX-exclusive film camera on the set of "The Odyssey". / Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Moviegoers are closely watching how the surge in special theater attendance—sparked by the film "The Odyssey"—will shape the future of the cinema industry.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing network on August 12, "The Odyssey" topped the daily box office from its opening day on August 5 through the previous day, generating 25.9 billion won in revenue. Of this total, 4.6 billion won was earned across just 27 IMAX auditoriums, accounting for nearly 18% of the revenue collected across all 2,455 screens nationwide. Similar trends are emerging globally. Out of an estimated 210,000 screens worldwide, IMAX auditoriums total merely 1,865, yet they account for over 20% of the box office gross for "The Odyssey". "The Odyssey" was shot entirely using IMAX 70mm film cameras, marking the first time in cinematic history that an entire feature film was captured on IMAX cameras. At CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall—South Korea's sole IMAX GT (Grand Theater) capable of projecting the film in its original 1.43:1 aspect ratio on a massive screen measuring 31 meters wide by 22.4 meters high—all six daily showtimes through August 25 sold out well in advance.

ScreenX auditoriums, which utilize side walls as extended screens, are also enjoying high popularity, second only to IMAX. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day", which was reportedly produced with ScreenX projection in mind, generated 3.3 billion won in ScreenX ticket sales, representing 5.1% of its total revenue of 65.2 billion won.

Despite the cinema industry's broader downturn following the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of over-the-top (OTT) streaming services, revenue growth for special theaters has been gathering momentum since last year. According to the "2025 Korean Film Industry Report" released by the Korean Film Council early this year, special theater revenue reached 111.0 billion won last year, a 46.3% (35.1 billion won) increase year-on-year. In the first half of this year alone, special theater revenue reached 45.7 billion won, up 56.3% (25.7 billion won) compared to the same period last year.

The growing preference for special theaters is attributed to rising demand for immersive cinematic experiences that can only be enjoyed in theaters. As audiences accumulate experience with special formats over time, more viewers are actively seeking ways to feel a heightened sense of realism. These moviegoers are willing to open their wallets—even paying ticket prices roughly 1.5 times higher than standard screenings—for films deemed worthy of the big screen. Both "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" leverage immense scale and overwhelming visual spectacles.

Skeptics remain, however, regarding whether special theaters can completely replace standard screens. Expanding special theaters requires substantial capital expenditure, and securing a steady supply of content optimized for these formats remains challenging. A public relations official at CGV, which holds an exclusive contract with Canada-based IMAX Corporation, noted, "While we receive overwhelming requests from audiences to screen 'The Odyssey' in more IMAX auditoriums, we cannot simply expand them indefinitely, which poses a dilemma." While releases from director Christopher Nolan consistently trigger surges in IMAX popularity, relying solely on such events presents too high a financial risk to justify sweeping investments in new IMAX installations.

Nevertheless, industry insiders anticipate that special-format screenings will drive the future of theatrical filmmaking. An official from Megabox JoongAng, which operates Dolby Cinema among its special formats, shared, "The ultimate edge theaters hold against home entertainment powered by OTT platforms lies in delivering overwhelming picture and sound quality alongside a comfortable viewing environment available nowhere else. We have entered an era where 'where you watched it' matters just as much as 'what you watched'."