Closures of cinemas in S. Korea hit 12-year high during Covid-hit 2020

More movie theaters shut down last year than in any other year of the past 12 years in South Korea as nearly year-round social distancing restrictions to slow Covid-19 infections have wrought havoc on the movie industry.

A local real estate data tracker said Tuesday that a total of 81 movie theaters closed down last year, citing data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

It nearly doubled the number of cinemas that went out of business in 2019 and also the highest in 12 years since the global financial crisis in 2008 when 88 theaters shuttered in the country.

In the greater Seoul area, the western port city Incheon saw the most number of 21 cinemas close down, Gyeonggi four and Seoul two. The remaining 54 theaters were located in the rural areas.

Movie theaters have seen their sales devastated as moviegoers find it uncomfortable to attend a movie in a theater due to the fear of catching the virus in the enclosed space and strict social distancing rules. Their sales have been also greatly hurt by cancelled or rescheduled releases of some films.

However, a total of 218 cinemas newly opened last year across the nation, up from 173 in 2019. But an industry official said the increased openings have nothing to do with the industry¡¯s recovery, as they just opened as schedule set before the pandemic.

[¨Ï Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]