Local films drove Korean box office recovery in the first half of 2026, with total industry revenue reaching KRW579 billion ($399.1 million) on 57.05 million admissions, up 41.9% and 34.2% year-on-year, respectively, according to figures released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).
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Local titles accounted for the bulk of that growth. Korean-film revenue totaled KRW370.2 billion ($255.2 million) from 37.37 million admissions, an increase of 81.7% and 74.9% year-on-year. It is the strongest first-half showing for local cinema since the pandemic, with revenue now equivalent to 94.2% of the pre-pandemic first-half average calculated across 2017 to 2019.
International films generated KRW208.8 billion ($143.9 million) in revenue from 19.68 million admissions in the same period. Admissions dropped 6.9% year-on-year, but revenue still rose 2.3%, a gain the council attributed to heavy premium-format ticket sales for titles including “Project Hail Mary” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Premium-format screenings made up 30.2% of total revenue for “Project Hail Mary” and 49.9% for “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
“The King’s Warden” led all releases for the half, pulling in KRW163.1 billion ($112.4 million) from 16.91 million admissions to become the highest-grossing Korean film ever released. “Colony” ranked second with KRW60.5 billion ($41.7 million) from 5.74 million admissions, while “Salmokji: Whispering Water” placed third on KRW33.3 billion ($23 million) from 3.24 million admissions, giving Korean titles a clean sweep of the top three releases. KOFIC noted that strong results this half came not only from period dramas and action blockbusters but also from mid- and small-budget romance and horror titles, pointing to a wider range of genres and scales among successful local releases.
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Premium-format screenings continued their growth streak, generating KRW45.7 billion ($31.5 million) in revenue for the first half, up 56.3% year-on-year and accounting for 7.9% of total revenue. The council said the trend has climbed steadily since the pandemic as theaters lean on premium formats to differentiate their offerings. The average ticket price for the first half rose KRW551 (¢38) year-on-year to KRW10,150 ($7), reflecting both that shift toward premium formats and higher ticket prices more generally.
Showbox Corp. led the distributor rankings, capturing a 48.6% revenue share worth KRW281.4 billion ($194 million) after distributing four releases – “The King’s Warden,” “Colony,” “Salmokji: Whispering Water” and “Once We Were Us” – that all performed well. The Walt Disney Company Korea placed second, taking a 13.8% share worth KRW43.1 billion ($29.7 million) across nine titles that included “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “Toy Story 5” and “The Devil Wears Prada.”
In the independent and arthouse segment, “Backrooms” led the category, taking in KRW12.4 billion ($8.5 million) from 1.16 million admissions. “Ran 12.3” placed second, with “My Name” rounding out the top three.
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