Latest news with #Megabox
Korea Herald
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Box office suffers historic first-half decline as theaters adapt survival strategies
Revenue plunges 33 percent while multiplexes pivot to exclusive programming and government hands out discount coupons It's almost a truism at this point to say that movie theaters are in deep trouble, and Thursday's midyear report from the Korean Film Council confirmed it once again with hard numbers. According to the report, box office revenue declined 33 percent year-on-year to 408 billion won ($293 million) in the first half of 2025, with attendance dropping 32.5 percent. Only two films managed to break the 30 billion won threshold: Tom Cruise's Hollywood blockbuster "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" led with 32.9 billion won from 3.36 million admissions, followed closely by local crime thriller "Yadang: The Snitch" at 32 billion, which drew 3.38 million viewers. No release came close to the 10 million admission mark — the traditional benchmark for mega-hit status in Korea. Compare that to last year's first half, when "Exhuma" raked in 115 billion won from nearly 12 million tickets and "The Roundup: Punishment" pulled similar numbers. Local productions took the biggest hit, plunging 43 percent to 203.8 billion won. Foreign films fared better but still declined 19 percent, with the international box office take dropping to 204 billion won. Survival mode: multiplexes go niche Faced with this new reality, multiplex chains are throwing out the old playbook. Instead of banking on wide releases, they are getting creative with curation and exclusive programming that caters to dedicated fanbases, the report also showed. Megabox launched "Mega Only," a monthly exclusive release program targeting niche audiences with specialized content. Its exclusive screening of the hit anime franchise "Attack on Titan: The Last Attack" made 9.5 billion won with 920,000 admissions, setting a record for single-theater releases. The program expands next week with an exclusive screening of "First Summer," Heo Ga-young's student short that won top prize at Cannes' La Cinef competition. Lotte Cinema, which announced its merger with Megabox in May, scored with the animated short "Magic Candies" in May, earning 500 million won from 100,000 viewers to rank third all-time for short films. Market leader CGV is doubling down on its premium formats to showcase fandom-targeted content, particularly concert films. The chain's panoramic ScreenX theaters hosted "IU Concert: The Winning" in January, capturing the K-pop star's world tour encore. July brought "Hybe Cine Fest in Asia," a sprawling showcase of BTS, Seventeen and other Hybe acts where fans could sing along during screenings. Signs of hope, but no guarantees Can the second half turn things around? For one thing, the government's betting on it. Starting July 25, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism rolled out 6,000 won discount coupons to slash ticket prices. Early signs look promising — "My Daughter is a Zombie" scored the year's biggest opening day on July 30 with 430,000 admissions to become the fastest 2025 release to break one million tickets over the weekend. Even "F1," in its sixth weekend, saw its biggest Saturday yet with 158,633 admissions, topping its opening Saturday's 146,966 in defiance of typical box office patterns. Heavy hitters wait in the wings for the second half of 2025. Auteur Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice," starring Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, arrives in September fresh from this year's Venice competition. Set for release at the end of the year, Hollywood sequels "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and "Zootopia 2" could provide major boosts as well. The previous "Avatar" film drew 10.8 million admissions in 2022-2023 despite a slow COVID-19 pandemic recovery, while the original "Zootopia" sold 4.7 million tickets in 2016 with limited marketing.
Korea Herald
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Megabox to exclusively release Cannes-winning short ‘First Summer' on Aug. 6
Historic La Cinef winner marks rare theatrical run for Korean student film Multiplex chain Megabox will exclusively screen "First Summer," the Korean short film that won top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival's La Cinef competition, starting Aug. 6, the company announced Tuesday. The 31-minute short from Korean Academy of Film Arts graduate Heo Ga-young will screen across around 50 Megabox theaters nationwide. Tickets will be priced at 3,000 won. "First Summer" made history in May as the first Korean film to win the top award in La Cinef, the Cannes section dedicated to student films. The competition selected 16 titles from 2,679 submissions and awarded first, second and third place honors. The film follows Yeong-sun, an elderly woman caught between attending her granddaughter's wedding and her boyfriend's memorial service. Veteran actor Heo Jin leads the cast, with Jung In-ki in a supporting role. Director Heo has said the story was inspired by conversations with her grandmother. Megabox will host special screenings and offer limited merchandise giveaways as part of the release. The exhibitor previously screened Joung Yu-mi's Cannes-selected short "Glasses" in June as part of its ongoing push into curated short film programming. 'We saw clear interest from audiences for Heo Ga-young's award-winning work,' said Kim Joo-hong, head of content planning at Megabox. 'We'll continue to expand our curated offerings to bring more diverse content to theaters.'
South China Morning Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Golden Harvest MegaBox latest cinema to close in Hong Kong, 4 left under chain
The Golden Harvest cinema at Megabox shopping centre will close this weekend due to 'the end of tenancy', making it the fifth venue that the cinema chain operator has shut down since April last year. The seven-theatre cinema, Golden Harvest MegaBox, located in the largest shopping centre in East Kowloon, will operate until this Sunday, the chain announced on Wednesday afternoon. The cinema in Kowloon Bay became the latest in a string of theatre closures in the city and the fifth so far this year. It is also the fifth to close since April 2024 under Golden Harvest, which now operates four remaining locations. 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. We look forward to seeing you again at other GH cinemas,' the operator said on Facebook. The cinema will launch a series of farewell events to thank fans, including some blind-box tickets on Sunday, with the last show at its IMAX theatre to be sold for HK$40 (US$5). On the cinema's final day, the snack bar will offer special combos and merchandise for HK$40. Patrons holding any ticket from MegaBox cinema will receive a HK$10 discount on purchases over HK$65 at snack bars in other Golden Harvest cinemas between June 9 and June 30.
Korea Herald
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Cannes-selected Korean animated short heads to theaters
Megabox to screen Joung Yu-mi's 'Glasses' along with earlier work in rare commercial run Multiplex chain Megabox will screen director Joung Yu-mi's animated short "Glasses" in theaters starting June 11, following its selection for the 78th Cannes Film Festival, the company announced Thursday. Competing in the Critics' Week short film section, the 15-minute animation was one of only two Korean works at this year's Cannes. No Korean films appeared in the main competition or other official sections, the first such absence in 12 years. "Glasses" centers on a woman who begins seeing shadowy visions of herself during an eye examination. The silent animation, rendered in expressive black-and-white pencil strokes, explores the themes of identity and perception. The screening will also feature Joung's earlier short "Paranoid Kid," previously shown at the Zagreb International Animation Festival. Based on the director's own picture book, the film is narrated by actress Bae Doo-na. 'Short films rarely find space outside the festival circuit, so I'm grateful for this chance to share my work in theaters,' Joung said.
Korea Herald
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
The best (lesser-known) things about Seoul for solo residents
A city perfect for solo dwellers has karaoke, barbecue joints and watering holes custom-made for a party of one I love to sing, but as a kid, belting out tunes on a karaoke machine usually meant rallying at least one friend to go to the local noraebang (singing room). For a boy who was a bit of a loner, this could be challenging. Then came the 2010s — and with them, a delightful invention: the coin noraebang (pay-per-song karaoke). A sanctuary for solo singers, it offered sweet salvation to those who want to sing their hearts out without the judgmental stares of others. Coin noraebang is just one of many urban pleasures catering to Seoul's growing population of solo dwellers. From one-person barbecue joints to bars and restaurants designed for a party of one, these spaces embrace those who choose to stay in their cocoon of voluntary solitude. And so, Seoul has become a haven for the "honjok," or people like me who choose to do things by themselves. Honjok is a portmanteau of 'hon' from the Korean word 'honja,' meaning alone, and 'jok,' meaning tribe. Movies, music and comics for solo escapes A common perception is that the 2020 outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing social distancing forced Koreans to spend more time by themselves, but this is only part of the story. A 2019 survey by the recruitment platform Saramin of 3,635 people showed that 67.7 percent of respondents identified as honjok, particularly 72.6 percent of those in their 20s. Being honjok doesn't mean being a loner, but rather taking the time to do as one pleases. The most popular reasons in the survey for doing things solo were "It's more convenient (72.5 percent)," "I don't have to be interrupted," and "There's no need to be emotionally spent," implying that the stress of social interaction puts pressure on many people. Going to the movies is widely considered an activity for couples, friends and family, but the pestering from the next seat -- "What just happened?" -- can be less than ideal. Local multiplex cinema franchises CGV and Megabox have adopted wide seats throughout their theaters, which have been promoted to one-person viewers. As mentioned, coin noraebang were among the first businesses to actively accommodate honjok, with some open around the clock and at cheaper prices than conventional karaoke. You can sing two or three songs for 1,000 won ($0.70), and most shops accept credit cards and offer time-based payment systems. If you are a fan of comics, comic book cafe chains like Beoltoon and Nolsoop are a great place to relax and read. Both chains operate similarly in that they offer not only a place to read comics but also sell simple dishes like tteokbokki and donkatsu that are of decent quality. Desks and chairs are available, but the preferred option is to hide out in isolated sections with curtains, blankets and cushions. It's actually a great place to kill a few hours or take a quick nap if you're caught between appointments. Grilling and booze, no friends required The popular 90s sitcom "Friends" had an episode in which the young adult character Rachel Green feels some shame and self-consciousness dining by herself. But a growing number of eateries here are offering dishes for solo diners, some installing one-person booths complete with dividers between seats to create partitioned areas for individuals. The founder of franchise eatery Ssaum Eui Gosu (Ssago) said his business started when he realized it was hard for a solo diner to find a place to eat bossam (boiled pork and side dishes). Ssago offers single portions of meat dishes that are more often eaten in groups, including bossam, samgyeopsal and jokbal, and most of its seats are tailored for those visiting alone. Barbecue joints are also typically for group dining, but some allow you to grill away by yourself. Hongo in Haebangchon, Yongsan-gu, takes its name from the Korean for "barbecue by yourself" and provides guests with mini grills in side-by-side seats. Seongsu-dong, known for its trendsetting establishments, has numerous one-person seats where individual diners can grill samgyeopsal and other types of barbecue. Each customer is blocked off from view by dividers, which can be easily removed if you want to sit with a friend. Mangwon-dong in Mapo-gu is another trendy neighborhood, and Chaeg Bar (book bar) is one destination in keeping with the honjok trend. As its name suggests, visitors have the option to pick up a book and read as they sip cocktails, although groups can sit in the "talking area" as well. The bars, eateries and other entertainment venues in Seoul are too numerous to cover in full, but what's certain is that honjok are a rapidly growing customer base, and businesses are attending to the needs of those who prefer to unwind and engage in their favorite activities by themselves.
