Korean cinema confronts its toughest year in decades

Multiplexes struggle to fill seats and major productions falter as shifting consumer habits reshape an industry at a crossroads

By nearly every meaningful measure, 2025 will be remembered as one of the most challenging years in the history of Korean cinema.

Investment in film production dried up, leading to a sharp decline in wide-release titles. Theater closures accelerated across the country. Audiences continued their migration away from multiplexes. Even the most anticipated productions from celebrated filmmakers failed to generate the enthusiasm that exhibitors had counted on.

Big names lose commercial footing

If the year demonstrated anything conclusively, it was that directorial prestige and star power no longer translate reliably into ticket sales.

For starters, Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" arrived in February amid considerable anticipation — and for good reason. The Warner Bros. production carried a whopping $118 million budget, featured Robert Pattinson in dual roles alongside an ensemble cast including Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette.

It also marked the director's first feature since "Parasite" swept the Oscars five years earlier, and all eyes were on whether Bong could carry that momentum forward. Expectations ran particularly high on the home front, where industry watchers hoped the sci-fi spectacle might