The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) reports that South Koreas theatrical box office for the first six months of 2022 reached USD $345.7 million, which is 48.7% of the total made during the same period in 2019. Put another way, South Korea’s box office almost reached 50% of its pre-pandemic levels during the first half of this year.

Naturally, the 2022 numbers on ticket sales and admissions tower over those from 2021, up by 143% and 124.4% respectively. Admissions rose to 44.94 million over the last six months. The lifting of COVID social distancing restrictions on 18 April helped increase moviegoing in both May and June. The restrictions on food and beverage consumption within cinemas was also done away with at that time.

The biggest film during the first half of the year was “The Roundup” starring Ma Dong-seok, a sequel to the hit 2017 movie “The Outlaw.” The Korean film made USD $96.13 million attracting 12.22 million admissions. To put those figures in perspective, “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness” was the second highest grossing film during the period, taking in USD $47.8 million.