Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many have reduced their going out and as a result, movies opening in theatres have taken a hit in their performance.

Now, many filmmakers avoid opening in theatres and sell their copyrights directly to over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

Movies including Space Sweepers and The Call opened directly on Netflix.

Seobok, starring Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum, is to be released in theatres and on OTT platform TVing at the same time in April 2021.

Socially distanced movie theatre seats in Korea

Before the pandemic, Korean movies often measured their performance by the number of theatre audience, and hitting 10 million was considered a huge achievement, referred to in Korean as "cheonman gwangaek (천만 관객)".

Let's take a look at the 10 impressive audience number records of Korean movies before the pandemic took place and changed the movie culture.

10. Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018)
신과 함께: 인과 연

Cast: Ha Jeong-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Dong-wook, Do Kyung-soo, Sung Dong-il

Number Of Theatre Audience: 12.27 million

Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days, with the momentum of the first episode, once again set a record, number of audience exceeding 10 million within two weeks.

The record put the movie as the 10th highest audience number in Korean film history.

The next sequel of Along With The Gods series is under preparation. We can anticipate yet another amazing results with the next one!

9. Masquerade (2012)
광해, 왕이 된 남자

Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Han Hyo-joo, Ryu Seung-ryong

Number Of Theatre Audience: 12.32 million

Masquerade is the seventh movie in Korea to exceed 10 million audience views.

In the year 2012, two movies achieved over 10 million audience views, which was also a new record in Korean film history.

Masquerade also won 15 awards at the 49th Grand Bell Awards (대종영화제).

8. Assassination (2015)
암살

Cast: Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo

Number Of Theatre Audience: 12.7 million

Telling about the bitter history of the Korean national movement during the Japanese colonial period, the movie Assassination has Jun Ji-hyun at the core of the plot.

For many Koreans, such films about the nation's history during the colonial period usually receive a considerable amount of attention.

The superstar line-up from Chungmuro is believed to have also played a role in the movie's exceptional performance.

7. Miracle In Cell No. 7 (2013)
7번방의 선물

Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Park Shin-hye, Kal So-won, Oh Dal-su, Park Won-sang

Number Of Theatre Audience: 12.81 million

Miracle In Cell No. 7 is a movie that will never miss out on the classics list!

The interaction between the mentally handicapped father and his fellow inmates and daughter forms a heartwarming story.

6. The Thieves (2012)
도둑들

Cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Kim Soo-hyun, Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae, Simon Yam, Angelica Lee, Derek Tsang

Number Of Theatre Audience: 12.98 million

In the year Masquerade hit the 10 million mark, The Thieves also set the 10 million record, releasing about two months earlier.

In addition to the Korean star actors, the performances of Simon Yam, Angelica Lee and Derek Tsang were also amazing.

The cross-cultural cooperation attracted a lot of attention at the time and became the sixth most viewed Korean film in the nation.

5. Veteran (2015)
베테랑

Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Hae-jin, Oh Dal-su

Number Of Theatre Audience: 13.41 million

The movie Veteran, along with K-drama Secret Affair, was the turning point of Yoo Ah-in's acting career.

Although he starred with other top actors who had already established their career, his momentum and brilliance were not overlooked.

Yoo Ah-in won Best Actor in the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards and ranked among the top-tier actors on Chungmuro.

4. Ode To My Father (2014)
국제시장

Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Kim Yun-jin, Oh Dal-su, Ra Mi-ran

Number Of Theatre Audience: 14.26 million

Depicting the tragic memory of the Korean peninsula that lasted for half a century, Ode To My Father is one of the most classic movies.

With its depictions of the Korean War and the separation of North and South that many locals still have memories of, Ode To My Father saw more than 14 million people make their way to theatres and once ranked as second in Korean film history.

3. Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)
신과 함께: 죄와 벌

Cast: Ha Jeong-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Dong-wook, Lee Jung-jae, Do Kyung-soo

Number Of Theatre Audience: 14.41 million

The first movie in the Along With The Gods series, The Two Worlds ranked second best in number of audience, but was later pushed back to third after Extreme Job.

This film had many shed tears while the concept of different hells had the international audience filled with curiosity.

2. Extreme Job (2019)
극한직업

Cast: Lee Hani, Gong Myung, Ryu Seung-ryong, Jin Seon-kyu, Lee Dong-hwi

Number Of Theatre Audience: 16.26 million

Extreme Job shows police officers rent a fried chicken shop to wait in an ambush in order to hunt down drug dealers.

However, their restaurant receives amazing online reviews and becomes a popular local spot after accidentally selling fried chicken.

This funny story had many Korean and international audiences laughing and relating to the plot, driving up its performance to rank 2.

1. Roaring Currents (2014)
명량

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong

Number Of Theatre Audience: 17.61 million

The theatre audience number record has not been broken for 7 consecutive years now.

Telling the story of the Battle Of Myeongnyang, the most famous battle in Korean history, the war scenes remain unforgettable.

In addition to word-of-mouth exposures, the unity and centripetal force among Koreans secured this movie at first place in the nation's film history.

What did you guys think of the 10 most-watched Korean movies in theatres? Have you seen any of them?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below!