|
The number of Korean films released in the first quarter of the year decreased by 39.3 percent to 17 from the previous year's 28, according to a report released Monday by the Korean Film Council. Only two films were made in January. As a result, the number of viewers totaled 16 million in the first quarter of 2009, down 19.2 percent on-year. Meanwhile, foreign films drew 19.5-million viewers, up 24 percent from the previous year. Overall, the number of moviegoers fell 0.1 percent on-year. However, despite the economic downturn and sluggish consumption, sales of movie theaters grew 1.6 percent.
The Korean film council pointed out that the reduced production of Korean films and their poor box-office performance was mainly due to the contraction in investment and production since 2007. "We will come up with diverse measures to support production costs, thereby revitalizing Korean films," it added.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
