Korean Films See Surge in January Audiences Thanks to 'Harbin' and 'Hitman 2'

연합뉴스 / 2025-02-27 10:24:17

▲ This image provided by CJ ENM shows a scene from the Korean historical film "Harbin." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- With the success of Woo Min-ho's blockbuster Harbin and Lunar New Year releases, the number of moviegoers for Korean films saw a significant increase last month.

According to the January 2025 film industry report released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on Thursday, the total number of viewers for Korean films reached 6.8 million, marking a 46.8% increase compared to the same month last year. Revenue also surged by 45.1% to 65.3 billion won.

Released at the end of December, Harbin attracted 2.07 million viewers in January, topping the monthly box office. Comedy film Hitman 2 (1.65 million viewers) and occult thriller The Dark Nuns (1.27 million viewers), both released for the extended Lunar New Year holiday, followed closely behind. The romance film Secret: Untold Melody also surpassed 800,000 viewers, with all three Lunar New Year releases achieving their break-even points.

▲ Posters for "Hitman 2" (L) and "Dark Nuns" are shown in these images provided by By4M and NEW, respectively. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In contrast, foreign films struggled in January, drawing only 2.11 million viewers and generating 20 billion won in revenue—down 32.5% and 32.6%, respectively, compared to the previous year. KOFIC attributed this decline to the overall underperformance of new foreign releases, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the top-ranking foreign film, attracting only 300,000 viewers.

As a result, foreign films accounted for just 23.4% of the total audience share, significantly trailing behind Korean films, which dominated with 76.6%.