▲ This file photo shows a Seoul theater on June 5

SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) said Monday they will distribute about 2.05 million additional movie discount coupons beginning Wednesday as part of efforts to boost theater attendance and support the local film industry.

Starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, moviegoers will be able to receive coupons worth 6,000 won (US$4.40) off admission tickets.

The ministry secured 27.1 billion won in supplementary budget funding for 4.5 million discount coupons to help stabilize livelihoods and revitalize the film industry. It distributed the first batch on May 13.

The second-round coupons will be available through the websites and mobile applications of the country's four major multiplex chains -- CGV, Lotte Cinema, Megabox and Cine Q.

Each online member will automatically receive two coupons in their account, which can be applied when purchasing movie tickets.

The promotion will end once each theater chain exhausts its allocated supply, and any unused coupons remaining in members' accounts will automatically expire.

Independent and art-house theaters, small local cinemas and senior cinemas participating in the program have continued offering first-come, first-served on-site discounts since May 13, rather than distributing coupons in separate phases.

A list of participating theaters and the status of available funding for each cinema can be checked on the Korean Film Council's website.

A ministry official said the first round of coupons had a positive effect on theater attendance, noting that box office revenue totaled 15.9 billion won in the week following the initial distribution, up 47.9 percent from 10.7 billion won in the preceding week.

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