{"id":2206605,"date":"2024-09-26T17:57:23","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T08:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2206605"},"modified":"2024-09-27T16:55:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T07:55:37","slug":"south-koreas-independent-theaters-face-extinction-amid-multiplex-dominance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/09\/south-koreas-independent-theaters-face-extinction-amid-multiplex-dominance\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s independent theaters face extinction amid multiplex dominance"},"content":{"rendered":"
After 66 years, the historic Daehan Cinema in Seoul\u2019s Chungmuro district is set to close at the end of September, a development that some fear could sound a death knell for South Korea\u2019s independent theaters.<\/span><\/p>\n Founded in 1958, Daehan Cinema was the first windowless movie theater in South Korea, screening foreign blockbusters like <\/span>Ben Hur<\/span><\/i> and serving as a film mecca until the emergence of multiplex cinemas.<\/span><\/p>\n Now, the theater has become a symbol of not only bygone times but of the mounting challenges facing independent cinema in a country where corporate-owned multiplexes like CJ CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox have come to dominate the market.<\/span><\/p>\n And while some argue that smaller theaters are relics best left to the past, defenders argue that their disappearance will culturally impoverish South Korea\u2019s broader film industry, calling for government support to ensure that the theaters can be bastions of creativity for years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n MULTIPLEX DOMINANCE<\/b><\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s film industry has shifted dramatically since the late 1990s. Multiplex chains have become part of a vertically integrated business model in which a handful of corporations control every aspect of the film industry \u2014 production, distribution and exhibition \u2014 consolidating their power and crowding out many independent cinemas.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, the Academy Award-winning film <\/span>Parasite<\/span><\/i> was produced by CJ ENM, whose parent company CJ Group also owns CGV multiplex chain.<\/span><\/p>\n Data from the <\/span>Korean Film Council<\/span><\/a> reveals that CJ CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox \u2014 three of South Korea\u2019s largest multiplex chains \u2014 collectively control 97% of the domestic screening market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This multiplex-dominated market creates systemic disadvantages for single-screen theaters, compounding their business struggles, industry experts say.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSingle-screen theaters without corporate backing start at a disadvantage from the outset, particularly in distribution. They struggle to attract audiences, which inevitably deepens their financial difficulties,\u201d the film director Jeong Seong-woo told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n Jeong, also the CEO of the independent Cinema MM in the southwestern city of Mokpo, expressed concern over the three companies\u2019 overwhelming control of the market.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThese conglomerates, by controlling production, distribution, and their own theaters, limit opportunities for many films to be screened,\u201d Jeong said.<\/span><\/p>\n Market concentration has already led to the closure of iconic single-screen theaters like Kukdo, Scala and Seoul Theater, with Piccadilly Theater in central Seoul only surviving due to its acquisition by CJ CGV in 2007.<\/span><\/p>\n The current market structure is markedly different from Daehan Cinema\u2019s heyday. When the cinema opened in 1958, it was Asia\u2019s largest single-screen theater, defining Korean cinema culture for decades.<\/span><\/p>\n Industry experts warn that this corporate dominance threatens to limit the options available to South Korean filmgoers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe situation, where corporations control the entire film process, has led to a lack of diversity among theaters,\u201d Kim Heon-sik, a pop culture critic, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n Jeong added that the industry risks shrinking, with independent and arthouse films relegated to film festivals.<\/span><\/p>\n Attempts to legislate against this imbalance have so far failed. A <\/span>2016 proposal<\/span><\/a> to limit corporate control over screening and distribution activities stalled in the National Assembly, and no comparable measures have followed.<\/span><\/p>\n While some lament the loss of independent cinemas, <\/span>others<\/span><\/a> within the film industry have argued these theaters might have survived had they pursued innovative strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n Critics cite successful niche theaters abroad, suggesting that Daehan and Seoul Cinema could have thrived by embracing unique concepts, such as emphasizing their cultural history, rather than competing directly with multiplexes.<\/span><\/p>\n