Korean cinema confronts its toughest year in decades

By nearly every meaningful measure, 2025 will be remembered as one of the most challenging years in the history of Korean cinema. Investment in film production dried up, leading to a sharp decline in wide-release titles. Theater closures accelerated across the country. Audiences continued their migration away from multiplexes. Even the most anticipated productions from celebrated filmmakers failed to generate the enthusiasm that exhibitors had counted on. If the year demonstrated anything conclu