[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] In the first half of this year, the domestic film industry recorded revenue growth of over 40% compared to the previous year, driven by the box office success of Korean films, and has recovered to 94% of its pre-pandemic level.

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) released its “2026 First-Half Korean Film Industry Report” on the 29th. According to the report, the theater industry is showing a clear trend of recovery, driven by the strong box office performance of Korean films, with theater revenue increasing by 41.9% year-over-year in the first half of the year.
According to the KOFIC, total box office revenue for the first half of 2026 was 579 billion won, and the number of moviegoers was 57.05 million, representing increases of 41.9% (171.1 billion won) and 34.2% (14.55 million people), respectively, compared to the same period last year.
Analysts note that Korean films were the primary drivers of this success in the first half of this year. Korean film revenue reached 370.2 billion won, and attendance hit 37.37 million, representing increases of 81.7% (166.5 billion won) and 74.9% (16.01 million) compared to the same period last year. This marks the highest first-half performance for Korean films since the pandemic began, and compared to the pre-pandemic (2017–2019) first-half average, revenue has recovered to 94.2% of that level.
In contrast, foreign films recorded revenue of 208.8 billion won and an audience of 19.68 million, with the number of viewers decreasing by 6.9% (1.46 million) compared to the same period last year. Box office revenue saw a slight increase of 2.3% (4.6 billion won), driven by the success of films with a high proportion of special screenings, such as *Project Hail Mary* and *Avatar: Fire and Ash*. Special screenings accounted for 30.2% of total revenue for *Project Hail Mary* and 49.9% for *Avatar: Fire and Ash*.
The top-grossing film of the first half of the year was *The Man Who Lives with the King* (Wangsa-nam), starring actors Yoo Hae-jin and Park Ji-hoon. With revenue of 163.1 billion won and 16.91 million viewers, *Wangsa-nam* became the highest-grossing film in Korean box office history.
Following closely behind were “The Army” (60.5 billion won, 5.74 million viewers) and “Salmokji” (33.3 billion won, 3.24 million viewers), which took second and third place, respectively, meaning that Korean films dominated the top spots for the first half of the year. Notably, the box office landscape became significantly more diverse as Korean films of various genres and scales—ranging from historical dramas and action blockbusters to mid- and small-scale productions in the romance and horror genres—achieved success.
Total revenue from special screenings in the first half of the year reached 45.7 billion won, a 56.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Special screenings accounted for 7.9% of total revenue in the first half of the year; as they have emerged as a key differentiator for theaters, their share has been on a steady upward trend since the pandemic. Additionally, driven by the rise in special screening revenue and an overall increase in theater ticket prices, the average ticket price for the first half of the year rose by 551 won compared to the same period last year, reaching 10,150 won.
In terms of distributor rankings, Showbox Co., Ltd.—which distributed a total of four films, including *Wangsa-nam*, *Gunche*, *Salmokji*, and *If We*—all of which were box office hits—secured an overwhelming first place with a 48.6% share of first-half revenue (281.4 billion won).
Next was The Walt Disney Company Korea, LLC, which distributed nine films—including *Avatar: Fire and Ash*, *Toy Story 5*, and *The Devil Wears Prada*—and ranked second among distributors with a 13.8% share of total revenue (43.1 billion won).
The low-budget horror film “Backroom,” based on an internet urban legend and a major hit in North America, topped the independent and art-house box office for the first half of the year with revenue of 12.4 billion won and 1.16 million admissions. Following that, “Ran 12.3” and “My Name Is” ranked second and third, respectively, among independent and art-house films.