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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Here are the top-grossing films in Korea in 2020, worst year for cinema due to COVID-19

Here are the top-grossing films in Korea in 2020, worst year for cinema due to COVID-19

Published Jan 2, 2021 08:46 am
(Clockwise from top left) 'The Man Standing Next,' 'Deliver Us From Evil,' 'Peninsula,' 'Hitman: Agent Jun,' 'Ashfall' and '#ALIVE' (KOFIC, Redpeter, Lotte, Hive Media, Zip Cinema, Perspective Pictures, CJ) 

2020 emerged as the worst year for the Korean cinema industry as it experienced the lowest total attendance in 17 years due to the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). 

According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), total cinema attendance in 2020 reached 59.52 million, down by 73.7 percent compared to 226.67 million tickets sold in 2019, or a difference of 167.15 million tickets. 

The 2020 total is the worst year since 2004 when the computerized cinema tracking started. In 2004, cinema attendance totaled 69.25 million. 

In 2020, the Korean cinema industry grossed 510.37 billion ($470 million), down by 73.33 percent or 1.4 trillion won ($1.28 billion) compared to 2019’s total gross of 1.91 trillion won ($1.75 billion). 

Cinema became one of the worst hit industries in South Korea as the social distancing rules imposed by the government restricted theaters from filling up all the seats every screening. In addition, people stayed away from cinemas as the threat of COVID-19 transmission loomed. 

No film released in Korea in 2020 sold 10 million tickets unlike in 2019 when the No. 1 film of the year, “Extreme Job,” recorded 16.26 million in total admissions. 

The No. 1 top-grossing film in Korea in 2020 is Lee Byung-hun’s “The Man Standing Next,” released in January 2020 before COVID-19 restrictions were imposed, which sold 4.75 million tickets and grossed $37.89 million. 

Here are the 20 top-grossing films in Korea in 2020: 

1. “The Man Standing Next” - 4.75 million (total admission), $37.89 million (gross) 

2. “Deliver Us From Evil” - 4.35 million, $35.48 million 

3. “Peninsula” - 3.81 million, $30.39 million 

4. “Hitman: Agent Jun” - 2.4 million, $18.94 million

5. “Tenet” - 1.99 million, $16.9 million

6. “Ashfall “  - 1.96 million, $15.55 million 

7. “#ALIVE” - 1.9 million, $14.67 million 

8. “Steel Rain 2: Summit” - 1.79 million, $13.47 million

9. “Pawn” - 1.71 million, $13.55 million 

10. “Dolittle” - 1.6 million, $12.36 million 

11. “Samjin Company English Class” - 1.57 million, $12.85 million 

12. “Honest Candidate” - 1.53 million, $11.81 million 

13. “Collectors” - 1.52 million, $12.65 million 

14. “The Closet” - 1.27 million, $10.08 million 

15. “OK! Madam” - 1.22 million, $10.09 million 

16. “Secret Zoo” - 1.2 million, $9.33 million 

17. “Forbidden Dream” - 1.03 million, $7.99 million 

18. “Innocence” - 894,025, $7.22 million 

19. “1917” - 877,017, $7.28 million 

20. “Little Women” - 864,782, $6.69 million

Related Tags

Korean films
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