Film industry in South Korea - statistics & facts

In early 2020, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ made history by becoming the first non-English movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was the first time since 1955 that the Best Picture winner also won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. The success of the movie put the South Korean industry back into the spotlight and reminded audiences that South Korean pop culture has more to offer than K-pop and dramas. It also showed that international audiences can enjoy South Korean movies despite the cultural differences, which is one of the main factors behind South Korean movies mainly being exported to Asia instead of Western countries.

What is the global impact of the South Korean film industry?

Hallyu, meaning "Korean wave", is a term that describes the success of South Korean culture outside of its borders. The South Korean film industry played a key role early on, with successful movies like "Shiri", "My Sassy Girl", as well as "Oldboy" capturing audiences outside of the Korean peninsula. While the focus of the public has since shifted to K-pop and K-dramas, the movie industry continued to grow over the last decade. Global survey results showed that South Korean movies were perceived to be popular in their country, and growing into the mainstream media instead of being a niche segment. With international platforms like Netflix including an increasing number of South Korean contents, more consumers are introduced to what the industry has to offer.

What is the domestic market like for South Korean films?

While South Korean movies are gaining international attention, a lot of domestic movies are tailored for the South Korean audience. It is therefore no surprise that the box office revenue of domestic movies was about as much as the box revenue of foreign movies before the COVID-19 pandemic. While both were hit by the pandemic, foreign movies struggled more than domestic films. Recovery in 2021 has been uneven, with a string of international movie blockbusters leading foreign film revenue to overtake domestic movies. The film "Extreme Job", a 2019 action comedy film directed by Lee Byeong-heon, became the highest grossing domestic movie of all time in South Korea.

How has COVID-19 affected the South Korean film industry?

The total production costs of South Korean films were increasing each year before the outbreak of COVID-19. The pandemic has taken its toll on the movie industry and cinemas around the globe, and South Korea has not been an exception. While cinemas never closed their doors, audience numbers plummeted, with industry experts stating that the film industry was facing its biggest crisis. Nevertheless, the South Korean industry is expected to have a bigger chance of bouncing back early on, compared to the industries in other countries, such as Hollywood.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 17, 2023

Key insights

Industry revenue
1.7tr KRW
Export value
71.4m USD
Average production costs
2.7bn KRW
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Sales revenue of the film industry in South Korea from 2008 to 2022 (in trillion South Korean won)

Cinema & Film

Movie industry sales revenue in South Korea 2008-2022

Most watched movies in South Korea in 2022 (in millions)

Cinema & Film

Most viewed movies South Korea 2022

Average production costs of South Korean films from 2008 to 2022 (in billion South Korean won)

Cinema & Film

Average movie production budgets in South Korea 2008-2022

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Film industry in the United States and Canada
Film industry in the United States and Canada
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Film industry in India
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Film production worldwide
Cinemas in South Korea
Cinemas in South Korea

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