Attendance figures for local films in South Korea increased by 75% in the first half of 2026, boosted by Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony and period drama T
Attendance figures for local films in South Korea increased by 75% in the first half of 2026, boosted by Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony and period drama The King’s Warden.
Korean films drew 37.4 million admissions between January to June compared with 21.4 million attendees in the first half of 2025, according to the Korean Film Council (Kofic). This generated $242m (KRW 370bn) in the first half of the year – an escalate of 81.7% year-on-year.
Despite a decline in the number of Korean films released in H1 – from 240 to 217 – the popularity of a few major hits drastically increased admissions and ticket sales.
Historical drama The King’s Warden, which opened on February 4, recorded 16.9 million attendees. Directed by Jang Hang-jun, it is South Korea’s second biggest ever film in terms of attendance and the country’s highest grossing film of all time with earnings of $107.8m (KRW 163.2bn).
Horror also performed strongly with Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie thriller Colony recording 5.86 million admissions, earning $40.7m (KRW 61.6bn), while supernatural horror Salmokji: Whispering Water topped 3.2 million admissions with earnings of $22m (KRW 33.3bn).
The figures reflect a weaker year at the South Korean box office in 2025, when comedy My Daughter Is A Zombie was the leading local title from 5.6 million admissions. Yadang: The Snitch and Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice trailed behind with 3.37 million and 2.94 million admissions respectively.
Pandemic years aside, this made 2025 the first year since 2012 where no Korean release hit 10 million admissions – a milestone that signifies major success in the Korean film market.
The industry will aim to continue the momentum of the first half of the year with Na Hong-jin’s Hope, which is set to open on July 15 following its premiere in Competition at Cannes in May.
