Chuseok Movie Lineup: Intense Competition in Theaters

The theater industry has become busy ahead of the Chuseok holiday. As new works of various genres confirm their releases at the same time to capture the holiday special that draws family-sized audiences, the competitive landscape is becoming distinct. Since the number of audiences visiting theaters during the holiday period, which lasts from a few days to nearly ten days, serves as a watershed that determines the year's box office landscape, attention is also focused on the scheduling strategies of distributors.

During this year's Chuseok holiday, works targeting different tastes, such as historical dramas, comedies, animations, and entertainment films, are evenly positioned. As viewing occurs across generations, from grandparents to young children, due to the nature of the holiday, distributors have chosen a strategy of putting forward family-friendly subject matter that is not biased toward a specific age group. In fact, among theater industry insiders, the perception that "during holidays, works that the whole family can watch comfortably are more advantageous for box office success than provocative or heavy subject matter" has been established for a long time.

Because of this, the reservation rankings for works scheduled for release are fluctuating even before the start of the holiday. On major reservation sites, top-ranking works have been changing daily starting from a week before the release. Distributors are maintaining a high level of alertness until the last minute, such as by monitoring reservation trends in real-time and modifying promotion methods. A theater official said, "Since the reservation rate on the first day of the holiday often dictates the overall box office performance for the entire holiday, we cannot help but be sensitive to the first day's results."

According to Korean Film Council statistics, although the total number of theater audiences during the Chuseok holiday period in recent years varies depending on the timing of the holiday, it has generally shown a distinct upward trend compared to regular weekends. However, some analyses suggest that as the use of Over-the-Top (OTT) services has become common, the footsteps visiting theaters are not as explosive as in the past. A film industry official said, "In order to avoid screen monopoly controversies, a trend of appropriately distributing screening halls has established itself in recent years," adding, "Rather than seats being concentrated on a single specific work, an environment is being created where audiences can choose works that suit their tastes."

This trend also affects the timing of the scheduling of holiday releases. While it was common in the past for one or two blockbusters to occupy most of the screens, it is explained that cases of adjusting so that small and medium-sized works can also secure a certain percentage of screening halls are increasing recently. Because of this, while there are reactions from the audience's perspective that the options have widened, some distributors lament that the competition to secure screens has actually become more intense.

Among the releases this holiday, a blockbuster combining the drama genre based on true stories and action first catches the eye. This work, which involved large-scale production costs, is known to have adjusted its release timing to the Chuseok holiday to avoid the summer peak season. A distribution official explained, "Since the competition in the summer theater market was so intense, we chose the holiday market, which was judged to have a relatively higher chance of winning." It is also evaluated that this work is enjoying significant promotional effects as the actors' stage greeting schedules and premiere reactions have gathered attention even before the release.

Family animation has also established itself as a regular genre for holidays. As parents with young children often visit theaters as part of their holiday outings, animation works are invariably included in the release lineup every Chuseok and Seollal holiday. This year, as domestic produced animations and imported foreign works are released simultaneously, a fierce psychological battle is taking place over young audiences. The theater industry is paying attention to the fact that the re-watching rate for animation audiences is relatively high and is devising strategies to maintain screening sessions until the latter half of the holiday.

The comedy genre is also a steady seller in the holiday theater market. In conjunction with the unique sentiment of family gatherings during holidays, works featuring humor codes have steadily drawn audiences. A film critic said, "During holidays, there is a clear tendency for audiences to prefer content they can laugh and enjoy comfortably rather than complex narratives," adding, "Because of this, distributors sometimes separately prepare edited versions with enhanced entertainment value for holidays instead of heavy messages." The critic further added, "During the holiday period when the audience base is diverse, not setting the running time excessively long is also considered a favorable factor for box office success."

Attention is focused on whether the recovery trend in the number of audiences that has continued in the theater industry in recent years will continue during this holiday. While the number of theater audiences, which had been stagnant for a while after COVID-19, showed a trend of gradual recovery, evaluations suggest it has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. A theater industry official stated, "The holiday period is still a time that accounts for a significant portion of theater sales," and "Various marketing, such as seat promotions to catch family-sized audiences or early morning and late-night discounts, are being carried out in parallel."

There is an analysis that concession stand sales also increase noticeably during the holiday period. In addition to popcorn and beverage sets, as more theaters sell limited edition goods or character products tailored to the holiday atmosphere, strategies to boost additional sales are being carried out in parallel. A theater official said, "During the holiday period, the rate of family-sized audiences using the concession stand is higher than usual, so we pay a lot of attention to the composition of related products."

Reactions from citizens planning to actually watch movies are also diverse. Kim (41), who has two children, said, "I plan to watch an animation the children like and a work adults can watch on different days," and "I have made reservations in advance in case the weather is bad during the holiday." Office worker Lee (29) said, "Since I am staying in Seoul without going down to my hometown during the holiday, I intend to binge-watch the released works that I missed during the holiday." University student Park (23) said, "I have reserved early morning screenings with my friends," and "I set the time early because I thought it would be crowded at the beginning of the holiday."

Meanwhile, some works have chosen a strategy of postponing their release until after the holiday to avoid the holiday special. This is a strategy to aim for a time when it is relatively easier to secure screens after the holiday ends, rather than engaging in a head-on confrontation during a period of intense competition. A distribution official said, "Since blockbusters flock together every holiday, the competition to secure the number of screens is intense, so the number of works adjusting their release dates is increasing." This case is particularly prominent in the small and medium-sized distribution or independent film camps, with the explanation that they often choose a time when audience demand is relatively stable after the holiday to expect word-of-mouth.

It is reported that the three major domestic theater companies are considering measures to increase late-night and early-morning screening sessions by adjusting the screening timetables during this holiday period. At some branches, measures such as adjusting special hall seat prices for a limited period during the holiday or preparing discount packages for family-sized audiences are also being discussed. The culture of the whole family visiting the movie theater during the holiday period continues clearly, and this year, new works of various genres are waiting for the audience's choice.