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- Cinema numbers even out in 2011
- Feb 02, 2012
The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has surveyed the nationwide number of cinemas in South Korea went down from 301 to 292 last year, part of a downtrend that started in 2007. The number of screens nationwide in 2011 went from down from 2,003 to 1,974. (On a comparative note, South Korean population growth has gone from 49.2 million people in 2007 to 50.7 million in 2011.)Multiplexes took up 98.1% of admissions, up from 97.6% the year before, signifying a more difficult environment for single-screen cinemas these days.In Seoul, the number of cinema closings went from 23 to 17 last year. Most notably, Hypertheque Nada, the dedicated arthouse cinema, closed its doors.Of all the cinemas in the country, 82.2% are multiplexes. In 2009, multiplexes made up for 78% of all cinemas while in 2010 the percentage was 79.1%, so the percentage of multiplexes in on the rise. The percentage of multiplex screens is 93.4%, up from 92.8% in 2010.The four leading multiplex chains in 2011 were CJ CGV, Primus, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, the last of which merged with Cinus last year. These four exhibitors accounted for 1,712 screens or 86.7% of the nation’s.CJ CGV had 673 screens, up 10.4% year-on-year, while Primus had 161 screens, down 8%. Lotte Cinema had 500 screens, up 4.6%, and Megabox had 378 screens, up 2% from the year before.More screens actually opened in the regions of Daegu City, Gwangju City, South Chungcheong Province, and North Jeolla Province, but others closed in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province as well as evenly around the nation. Large drops in number of cinemas were recorded in South Jeolla Province, Jeju Island and Incheon City.
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