[Edaily Reporter YUN GI BACK ] What if you could win your own home just by watching a movie and leaving a review? Moving beyond the era when movie-going prizes were limited to merchandise or invitations to preview screenings, actual homes are now up for grabs. The film industry’s marketing competition to draw audiences to theaters is becoming increasingly unconventional. It is also noteworthy that these strategies are evolving beyond simple prize giveaways to encourage audiences to actively participate in promotions themselves.

The film at the center of this buzz is the horror thriller *The Perfect House*, starring Bae Jong-ok and Jang Gyu-ri, which opens on the 25th. The production company, Take Film, recently announced that it will give away one “Tiny House”—a small residential unit—via a random drawing among audience members who watch the movie and write a review.
The house being offered as a prize has an actual floor area of 4.3 pyeong. Although small, it is equipped with a kitchen and bathroom, making it a space suitable for actual living. The prize is not a simple model or decorative item, but a real house. However, the winner must secure the land to place the house on and cover the transportation, installation costs, and applicable taxes and fees. In other words, while the house is provided, the land is not included.
What makes this event intriguing is how the prize is exquisitely intertwined with the film’s plot. “The Perfect House” tells the story of Kyu-bin (played by Jang Kyu-ri), a college student who moves into a luxury apartment under unconventional terms and experiences bizarre events while living with the landlord, Geum-rim (played by Bae Jong-ok). It’s a premise where the home everyone dreams of turns into a place of terror. The production team brought the film’s theme of “home” into the real world as a prize, sparking the audience’s curiosity.
Especially given the reality that buying a home is no easy feat, the slogan “Watch the movie and win a house” itself serves as a powerful promotional tool. It’s considered a clever approach because it allows the film to make a strong impression through a single unique event, without requiring a massive advertising budget.
What’s particularly noteworthy are the conditions for winning the prize. Simply purchasing a ticket or watching the movie isn’t enough. Audience members must leave a review to be eligible to enter. This strategy targets not only ticket sales but also online word-of-mouth after the screening.

While movie marketing in the past focused on encouraging viewership through posters, trailers, preview screenings, and actor meet-and-greets, it has recently expanded its scope to encourage audiences to generate and spread their own stories about the film. In essence, audiences are moving beyond being mere consumers to becoming active participants in promotion.
This shift is closely tied to the increasingly competitive market environment among newly released films. A representative from a film public relations agency stated, “For small- and medium-sized films with limited promotional budgets, a single distinctive idea can be a crucial weapon,” adding, “This is because generating buzz outside the theater increases the likelihood of attracting audience interest and leading to actual ticket purchases.”
However, generating buzz and box office success are two separate matters. It remains to be seen whether interest in giveaways will actually translate into movie ticket sales. While review events can be expected to boost participation, it is worth considering whether reviews written solely for the sake of winning prizes will lead to genuine word-of-mouth.
Ultimately, what matters is not the value of the prize but its power to move audiences. Attention is focused on whether this unprecedented marketing campaign—which even offers a house as a prize—will amount to nothing more than a one-time buzz or become a successful strategy to attract new audiences to the struggling theater industry. All eyes are on the results of this bold gamble by the film industry, which has gone so far as to offer a house to draw in audiences.