Hollywood and Local Titles in Close Race for Korea Box Office Crown
HONG KONG — Korean-made films scored over 100 million ticket sales for the third year in a row. But 2014 could be the year that foreign movies may reclaim the majority of the Korean box office.
With less than a week to the end of the year, local film local titles had sold 100.2 million tickets and claimed a 48.5% share of the box office, according to data halted at Dec. 22 from the Korean Film Council.
Imported films stood at 104.7 million at the same date.
But with local blockbuster “Ode to My Father” and surprise documentary hit “My Love, Don’t Cross That River” playing strongly over the Christmas period local films may just swing the score their way by Dec 31. In 2013 Korean movies enjoyed over 58% of their domestic box office.
Either way, the strong performances of both local and foreign features has pushed the combined admissions total over 200 million for the second consecutive year. With a population of some 50 million, average visits per person are a lofty 4 per year.
The local successes this year have been fewer but bigger than in previous years, with “Roaring Currents” breaking the all-time record for any film released in Korea. Hollywood titles “Frozen” and “Interstellar” in particular have surprised on the upside.
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