February a Lame Month for Korean Films

Korean films performed badly in February. Four domestically produced films made it into the top 10 at the box office here but drew a mere 7.46 million cinemagoers, the worst record for the month in five years.

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The performance is even worse when compared to January, when six Korean films attracted 13.23 million moviegoers.

Rivalry with foreign films was not the reason as they were no huge hits either in February. According to the Korean Film Council, a total of 6.56 million people watched the six foreign films in the top 10 in February, including "Kingsman: The Secret Service" (3.14 million), "Big Hero 6" (1.29 million), and "The Imitations Game" (1.13 million).

The poor performance despite the five-day Lunar New Year can be attributed largely to the fact that the Korean films released in February such as "Gangnam Blues", "Chronicle of a Blood Merchant" and "C'est Si Bon" simply fell short of audiences' expectations.

Film critic Jeon Chan-il said recent hit movies like "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" and "Ode to My Father" all bridged generation gaps. "The market has grown and become more diverse, but there is now a slimmer chance of mega-blockbusters", he added.