Driven by the box office success of Korean films such as "The King and the Mendicant" and "Colony," local theaters have rebounded to 94.2% of their pre-pandemic sales levels.

According to an announcement by the Korean Film Council on the 29th, total box office revenue for the first half of 2026 reached 579 billion won, with 57.05 million moviegoers, marking increases of 41.9% (171.1 billion won) and 34.2% (14.55 million moviegoers), respectively, compared to the same period last year.

Korean films led box office performance in the first half of this year. Korean film revenue recorded 370.2 billion won and admissions reached 37.37 million, surging 81.7% and 74.9% year-on-year, respectively. This marks the highest figure for Korean films in the first half of a year since the pandemic, recovering to 94.2% of the pre-pandemic first-half average in terms of revenue.

In contrast, foreign films recorded 208.8 billion won in revenue and 19.68 million moviegoers. Although attendance dropped 6.9% year-on-year, revenue saw a slight increase of 2.3%, influenced by the box office success of titles with high proportions of special screenings such as "Project Hail Mary" and "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Special screening revenue accounted for 30.2% of total sales for "Project Hail Mary" and 49.9% for "Avatar: Fire and Ash."

Taking the overall top spot at the box office for the first half was "The King and the Mendicant," which pulled in 163.1 billion won in revenue and 16.91 million moviegoers, claiming the highest box office revenue in history. It was followed by "Colony" in second place and "Salmokji" in third, with Korean films sweeping the upper ranks of the first-half box office. Korean films of various genres and scales achieved success, ranging from historical dramas and action blockbusters to medium- and small-scale romance and horror works.

Total revenue from special screenings in the first half reached 45.7 billion won, up 56.3% from the same period last year. Special screenings accounted for 7.9% of total first-half revenue, and the average ticket price for the first half rose by 551 won year-on-year to 10,150 won.

In distributor rankings, Showbox Corp., which distributed a total of four films including "The King and the Mendicant," "Colony," "Salmokji," and "If Only," took first place with a 48.6% share of first-half sales. Walt Disney Company Korea LLC, which distributed "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and other titles, took second place.

"The Backrooms," a low-budget horror film based on an internet urban legend, ranked first in independent and art film box office performance for the first half with 12.4 billion won in revenue and 1.16 million moviegoers, followed by "Ran 12.3" and "My Name is" in second and third place, respectively.

 

(SBS Star News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)