Seoul Window
For decades, Korea has been one of the most movie-mad countries on earth relative to its size. With a population of about 51 million, it has seen a single film sell more than 10 million tickets dozens of times. Using official statistics from the Korean Film Council’s integrated box office network (KOBIS), this guide breaks down the all-time top 20, the full list of 10-million films, and how far cinemas have recovered since COVID. If you’re planning to catch a movie in Seoul, the travel tips at the end are for you.
The short answer
- No. 1 of all time is The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014, 17.61 million). The King's Warden, released in 2026, climbed to No. 2 all time with about 16.92 million.
- There are 35 films with 10 million admissions (25 Korean, 10 foreign). The latest is The Odyssey, released in August 2026.
- Annual admissions peaked at 226.68 million in 2019. 2025 fell to 106.09 million, less than half, and 2026 is rebounding with 97.52 million by early October.
What is the most-watched movie in Korean history?
The Admiral: Roaring Currents (Myeongnyang). This period epic about Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s Battle of Myeongnyang opened in 2014, drew 17,613,682 admissions, and is still No. 1 twelve years later. In 2026, though, the top of the chart finally wobbled. Director Jang Hang-jun’s historical drama The King’s Warden overtook Extreme Job for No. 2 just over two months after release, and by revenue it beat Myeongnyang to become the highest-grossing film ever in Korea (₩163.1 billion, per the Korean Film Council’s first-half 2026 report). Why can revenue rank higher than admissions? Ticket prices rose in between.
🏆 Korea's all-time box office top 20 (by admissions, KOBIS official statistics closed August 2026)
| Rank | Title (English / Korean) | Year | Admissions | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Admiral: Roaring Currents / 명량 | 2014 | 17,613,682 | Korean |
| 2 | The King’s Warden / 왕과 사는 남자 | 2026 | 16,921,397 | Korean |
| 3 | Extreme Job / 극한직업 | 2019 | 16,264,944 | Korean |
| 4 | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds / 신과함께-죄와 벌 | 2017 | 14,410,754 | Korean |
| 5 | Ode to My Father / 국제시장 | 2014 | 14,257,115 | Korean |
| 6 | Avengers: Endgame / 어벤져스: 엔드게임 | 2019 | 13,934,592 | Foreign |
| 7 | Frozen 2 / 겨울왕국 2 | 2019 | 13,747,792 | Foreign |
| 8 | Avatar / 아바타 | 2009 | 13,624,328 | Foreign |
| 9 | Veteran / 베테랑 | 2015 | 13,414,009 | Korean |
| 10 | 12.12: The Day / 서울의 봄 | 2023 | 13,128,080 | Korean |
| 11 | The Host / 괴물 | 2006 | 13,019,740 | Korean |
| 12 | The Thieves / 도둑들 | 2012 | 12,983,330 | Korean |
| 13 | Miracle in Cell No.7 / 7번방의 선물 | 2013 | 12,811,206 | Korean |
| 14 | Assassination / 암살 | 2015 | 12,705,700 | Korean |
| 15 | The Roundup / 범죄도시2 | 2022 | 12,693,175 | Korean |
| 16 | Aladdin / 알라딘 | 2019 | 12,555,894 | Foreign |
| 17 | Masquerade / 광해, 왕이 된 남자 | 2012 | 12,319,542 | Korean |
| 18 | King and the Clown / 왕의 남자 | 2005 | 12,302,831 | Korean |
| 19 | Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days / 신과함께-인과 연 | 2018 | 12,274,996 | Korean |
| 20 | A Taxi Driver / 택시운전사 | 2017 | 12,186,684 | Korean |
Official statistics are closed out monthly, so they differ slightly from the real-time count. With re-release audiences added, The King’s Warden stood at 16,929,362 in the real-time count on October 2. No. 21 is Exhuma (2024, 11.91 million). The Odyssey, released in August 2026, shows 9.01 million in the official statistics (closed August), but its real-time count had grown to 11.89 million by October 2, putting it at No. 22. It’s still in theaters, so it may climb higher.
How to read this table
KOBIS figures from 2011 onward come from the integrated network that collects ticketing data from every cinema in the country in real time. Films from before 2010 (The Host, King and the Clown, etc.) are based on the Korean Film Yearbook, and nationwide statistics before 2004 were only partially compiled with distributors' cooperation, so actual audiences may have been larger. Of the top 20, 16 are Korean films and 4 are foreign.
How many 10-million films are there, and which is the latest?
35, according to KOBIS as of October 2, 2026. In Korea, a film that passes 10 million admissions is called a cheonman yeonghwa (10-million movie), and the phrase has become shorthand for a mega-hit. Twenty-five are Korean and 10 are foreign, and the most recent is The Odyssey. According to MTN, The Odyssey passed 10.02 million cumulative admissions on September 6, making Christopher Nolan a director with two 10-million films in Korea, after Interstellar (2014). It’s the first foreign film to hit 10 million in about four years, since Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
🎬 Every 10-million film (in order of admissions, KOBIS as of October 2, 2026)
| Type | Count | Films |
|---|---|---|
| Korean | 25 | The Admiral: Roaring Currents, The King’s Warden, Extreme Job, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Ode to My Father, Veteran, 12.12: The Day, The Host, The Thieves, Miracle in Cell No.7, Assassination, The Roundup, Masquerade, King and the Clown, Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days, A Taxi Driver, Exhuma, Taegukgi, Train to Busan, The Roundup: Punishment, Haeundae, The Attorney, Silmido, The Roundup: No Way Out, Parasite |
| Foreign | 10 | Avengers: Endgame, Frozen 2, Avatar, Aladdin, The Odyssey, Avengers: Infinity War, Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Frozen, Interstellar |
The list says a lot about Korean taste. Historical dramas like The Admiral, The King’s Warden, Masquerade and King and the Clown; films about modern Korean history like 12.12: The Day, A Taxi Driver and The Attorney; and crowd-pleasing action franchises like The Roundup series (parts 2, 3 and 4 all hit 10 million) dominate. On the foreign side, it’s mostly Marvel (three Avengers films), Disney animation and James Cameron’s Avatar.
How far did Korean cinema attendance fall, and how much has it recovered?
The peak was 226.68 million admissions in 2019, and 2025 came in at less than half of that. When COVID-19 hit in 2020 and 2021, annual admissions fell to around 60 million. They climbed back into the 120-million range in 2022–2024, then dropped again to 106.09 million in 2025.
📈 Total cinema admissions and Korean film share by year (KOBIS integrated network)
| Year | Total admissions | Korean film share | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 226.68 million | 51.0% | All-time high. Five 10-million films, including Extreme Job and Parasite |
| 2020 | 59.52 million | 68.0% | Admissions fell more than 70% due to COVID-19 |
| 2021 | 60.53 million | 30.1% | Big Korean releases postponed; foreign share surged |
| 2022 | 112.81 million | 55.7% | The Roundup hits 10 million; distancing rules lifted |
| 2023 | 125.14 million | 48.5% | The Roundup: No Way Out and 12.12: The Day hit 10 million |
| 2024 | 123.13 million | 58.0% | Exhuma and The Roundup: Punishment hit 10 million |
| 2025 | 106.09 million | 41.1% | No Korean 10-million film; foreign films led the box office |
| 2026 (to 10/2) | 97.52 million | 50.9% | The King’s Warden and The Odyssey hit 10 million |
2026 feels clearly different. According to the Korean Film Council’s first-half report, January–June admissions reached 57.05 million, up 34.2% year on year, and admissions for Korean films were up 74.9%. Cumulative admissions through October 2 are already at 92% of the 2025 annual total, so 2026 is very likely to surpass 2025 by year-end. Compared with the 200-million-plus of 2019, though, it’s still only about half.
What are the top 5 movies of 2026 so far?
The King’s Warden is No. 1 and The Odyssey No. 2. Three Korean films and two Hollywood blockbusters split the top five.
🗓️ 2026 box office top 5 (KOBIS real-time count, through October 2, 2026)
| Rank | Title (English / Korean) | Release date | Admissions | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The King’s Warden / 왕과 사는 남자 | 2026-02-04 | 16,929,362 | Korean |
| 2 | The Odyssey / 오디세이 | 2026-08-05 | 11,898,815 | Foreign |
| 3 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day / 스파이더맨: 브랜드 뉴 데이 | 2026-07-29 | 9,040,190 | Foreign |
| 4 | Colony / 군체 | 2026-05-21 | 5,953,042 | Korean |
| 5 | Hope / 호프 | 2026-07-15 | 4,587,347 | Korean |
Colony is a zombie film from Yeon Sang-ho, director of Train to Busan, and Hope is the new film from Na Hong-jin, director of The Wailing (per Asia Economy). The Odyssey was still drawing more than 20,000 viewers a day in early October, so the rankings may shift again.
Why did Koreans go to the movies so much?
In 2019, Koreans went to the cinema an average of 4.37 times per person (Korean Film Council report). In a 2013 press release, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Korea’s per-capita attendance was “among the highest in the world, second only to the United States.” The reasons usually cited:
Why Korea's moviegoing culture was so strong
- Multiplexes everywhere: Starting with CGV Gangbyeon in 1998, the big three chains (CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox) moved into shopping malls, subway stations and department stores. You could catch a film on the way home from work or in the middle of a shopping trip.
- Tickets used to be cheap: The average ticket in 2019 was about ₩8,444 (KOBIS revenue ÷ admissions). For the price of a meal out, you got two hours of the easiest entertainment around.
- The default date and hangout: Dinner, a movie, then a café was the classic course for couples and friends for years.
- If everyone's seeing it, I'm seeing it: Word of mouth spreads fast in Korea, and people watch the buzzy film just to keep up with the conversation. That herd effect is what creates 10-million films.
- A strong domestic film industry: Korean films consistently held around 50% of the market. That's rare, considering how many countries have ceded theirs to Hollywood.
By 2025, though, per-capita attendance had dropped to about 2.06 (Korean Film Council), less than half of 2019. Streaming services like Netflix becoming part of daily life is a big factor, but the reason many people point to is ticket prices.
Did rising ticket prices drive audiences away?
You can’t pin the decline on a single cause, but the period when ticket prices jumped overlaps with the period when the recovery stalled. According to Dailian, CGV raised prices by ₩1,000 three times during the pandemic, in October 2020, April 2021 and April 2022, bringing a standard 2D film to ₩14,000 on weekdays and ₩15,000 on weekends. The other chains followed suit.
🎟️ Average ticket price and per-capita attendance
| Year | Average ticket price | Visits per person | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | About ₩8,444 | 4.37 | KOBIS calculation / Korean Film Council report |
| 2021 | About ₩9,657 | 1.17 | KOBIS calculation / Korean Film Council report |
| 2024 | About ₩9,702 | About 2.4 | KOBIS calculation / Dailian (citing Korean Film Council) |
| 2025 | About ₩9,864 | About 2.06 | Korean Film Council 2025 report |
| 2026 first half | ₩10,150 | - | Korean Film Council first-half 2026 report |
The average price sits well below the list price (₩15,000) because of mobile carrier and credit card discounts, early-morning screenings and all kinds of coupons. Korean moviegoers rarely pay full price. In 2024, actor Choi Min-sik publicly raised the ticket price issue, fueling the debate (per Korea JoongAng Daily). According to Korean Film Council data cited by Dailian, the number of cinemas fell from 573 in 2023 to 547 in 2025.
Fewer viewers, but premium screens are growing
According to the Korean Film Council's 2025 report, revenue from special formats like IMAX, 4DX and Dolby Cinema reached ₩111 billion, up 46.3% from the previous year. The logic: if I'm paying a lot anyway, make it something I can only get in a theater. For a comparison of Seoul's premium screens, see our guide to IMAX and 4DX theaters in Seoul.
Do Koreans watch more Korean or foreign films?
In 2026 it’s almost an even split. Through October 2, Korean films held 50.9% and foreign films 49.1%. But it swings a lot from year to year. In 2024, thanks to Exhuma and The Roundup: Punishment, Korean films took 58.0%; in 2025, that fell to 41.1%. The top-grossing film of 2025 was Zootopia 2, and the only Korean film in the top five was My Daughter Is a Zombie. The Japanese anime film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle also reached No. 2 (Korean Film Council 2025 report).
Marvel has been especially strong in Korea. The Avengers series alone has three 10-million films, and Endgame (13.93 million) is the biggest foreign film ever. In 2026, Spider-Man: Brand New Day passed 9 million. These days, though, Korean audiences respond more to word of mouth than to brands. If the buzz says it’s worth seeing, people flock to it, Korean or foreign; if not, even a blockbuster leaves theaters quickly.
Can you watch a movie in a Korean cinema while traveling?
Absolutely. Hollywood films play in their original language with only Korean subtitles, so English speakers can enjoy them as is. Most Korean films play without subtitles, but for buzzy releases some cinemas schedule separate English-subtitled screenings.
Cinema tips for travelers
- Before booking, check the showtime details for an English subtitle label. No label means no subtitles.
- Korean cinemas use assigned seating, so book ahead for popular films on weekend evenings. For how to book with each chain and where they are, see our Seoul movie theater guide.
- Want to walk where the films on this list were shot? Our guide to Seoul movie filming locations will help.
- The King's Warden is set in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. Cheongnyeongpo, where Danjong was exiled, and his tomb Jangneung (one of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) have drawn more visitors since the film's release.
- If you want to go deeper into Korean film, check the dates for the Busan International Film Festival, held every autumn.
To sum up: Korea’s cinemas slid to about half of their 2019 peak, and in 2026 they’re coming back to life thanks to The King’s Warden and The Odyssey. By the numbers it’s still a recovery in progress, but if you visit Seoul in a year that produced two 10-million films, it’s a good chance to feel what it’s like when a Korean audience laughs and cries together in a theater.
Sources
- KOBIS all-time box office (official statistics, closed August 2026, accessed 2026-10-03)
- KOBIS 2026 box office by year (real-time count, as of 2026-10-02)
- KOBIS annual admissions and revenue statistics (as of 2026-10-02)
- Korean Film Council webzine — 2025 Korean film industry report (2026.03.09)
- Asia Economy — report on the Korean Film Council's first-half 2026 results (2026.07.29)
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism press release — domestic film admissions top 200 million for the first time (2013.12.19)
- Kyunghyang Shinmun — report on the Korean Film Council's 2021 results, per-capita attendance (2022.02.22)
- Report: The King's Warden officially passes 10 million (2026.03.06)
- Herald Business — The King's Warden overtakes Extreme Job for No. 2 all time (2026.04.10)
- MTN — The Odyssey carries 10 million viewers (2026.09.07)
- Asia Economy — Hope posts the year's second-fastest box office pace after Colony (2026.07.25)
- Dailian — CJ CGV weekend standard tickets at ₩15,000 (2022.03.30)
- Dailian — 10-million films are back, yet cinemas keep closing (2026.09.24)
- Korea JoongAng Daily — High ticket prices are hurting Korean movie industry (2024.08.27)