As the number of movie theaters in South Korea declines amid a prolonged slump in the film industry, major multiplex operators are seeking new avenues of growth through live sports broadcasts, collaborations with K-pop idol groups, and screenings of live performances. Analysts say cinemas are evolving into "culture plexes" that maximize the advantage of communal viewing by offering sports, concerts, and other cultural experiences beyond movies.
According to industry sources on the 30th, CGV live-broadcast the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, Korea's professional baseball season, which opened on the 28th. Starting with opening-day games including kt wiz vs. LG Twins and Kiwoom Heroes vs. Hanwha Eagles, CGV will screen two games every Sunday. CGV signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and has been live-broadcasting regular season games, the All-Star Game, and other major matchups since 2024.
This year, CGV plans to expand broadcasts in its specialty auditorium ScreenX, which extends visuals onto the walls flanking the central screen. CGV aims to heighten the sense of being inside a stadium by adding 5.1-channel surround sound. The company is also preparing a seating arrangement that divides the auditorium into home and away sections.
Lotte Cinema is partnering with JYP Entertainment to operate idol group-branded auditoriums and pursue other new initiatives. The strategy combines Lotte Cinema's and the entertainment company's proprietary intellectual property (IP) to draw audiences. As a first step, timed to the comeback of boy group KickFlip, Lotte Cinema World Tower's Theater 10 will operate as a "KickFlip Branded Theater" through April 27. KickFlip will appear in the pre-screening audience guide video, and KickFlip-themed merchandise will also be available. Lotte Cinema plans to continue collaborations with other JYP Entertainment artists following KickFlip. Lotte Cinema is also organizing offline performances. On April 4, it will host a "Cinema Concert" at its Ansan branch, featuring K2's Kim Sung-myun, izi's Oh Jin-sung, and the band Highbro.
Megabox has been screening live performances. Last year, it screened "Frankenstein: The Musical Live," a filmed version of the musical "Frankenstein," and "ENHYPEN VR Concert: Immersion," capturing a performance by idol group ENHYPEN. This month, it released back-to-back live performance screenings including the musical "Jangsutang Fairy" and the opera "La Sonnambula" from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
These moves are seen as self-rescue measures by cinemas struggling with the film industry downturn. With audience numbers having fallen to roughly half their peak, theaters are attempting to reinvent themselves as cultural spaces by leveraging their physical venues. The number of movie theaters in South Korea fell to 547 last year, down 4.0%, or 23 theaters, from the previous year.
"Efforts to evolve into spaces that offer diverse experiences will also benefit the film industry," an industry official said. "We expect that audiences who discover the appeal of theaters through other content will return to cinemas to watch movies."