What Movie Ticket Sales Say About Tastes Across the Country

Seoul citizens made up 24 percent of cinemagoers in the country this year. Films which see a flood of advance ticket sales tend to have a high percentage of audiences from Seoul, mainly due to a more established culture of booking tickets.

Films with a high percentage of audiences from the provinces tended to stay at the top of the box office for longer.

Stars who sell in Seoul tend to get their film to the top of box office in the first week of its release, while actors who tend to be popular in the provinces get films to enjoy extended popularity.

Analysis by the Korean Film Council of actors who have at least two successful films that attracted at least 5 million viewers in the past five years shows thatHa Jeong-woo,Song Kang-ho,Kim Hye-soo,Han Hyo-joo, andLee Jeong-jaeare popular in Seoul.

The figure was calculated by comparing the number of cinemagoers by region.

In the provinces, films starringSon Ye-jin,Seol Kyeong-gu,Kim Soo-hyeon-I,Ryoo Seung-ryong, andSon Hyeon-jooperformed strongly.

It is notable that actors in their 20s such asYoo Ah-in,Kim Soo-hyeon-I, andSim Eun-kyeongtend to be popular in the provinces.