Has “12.12: The Day” saved the day for Korean theaters?

By Chris Weatherspoon

Released in November, <12.12: The Day> was the biggest film of 2023 for the Korean box office. Let’s look at some things that make this film special.

The Korean Domestic Box Office: A simple primer

Koreans really love to go to the movies.

Did you know that South Korea often ranks as the number one country globally in terms of per capita movie ticket sales? On average, Koreans watch about 4 movies a year in theaters and who could blame them? Korean theaters are well maintained, boast a wide range of screening formats, and offer reasonable prices on tickets and concessions.

Well this was the definitely the case before the pandemic.

While South Korea never officially went into lockdown, the strict protocols that were put into place for public safety wreaked havoc on the domestic movie exhibition business. People stopped going to theaters and attendance plummeted even more when limits were placed on admissions. Additionally, many new releases went straight to streaming and moviegoers followed and didn’t come back.

During the pandemic theaters were only allowed to sell tickets for every other seat.

The three movie theater chains that account for more than 90% of domestic box office ticket sales worked a lot of financial magic to keep their doors open in hopes that audience members would come back when the threat of COVID-19 subsided.

Unfortunately, while ticket sales have gradually increased each year, they have yet to return to their pre-pandemic levels.

Theaters Need a (Super) Hero?

Korean movie theaters have been desperate for a hit that will bring back audiences. Typically that would be one of the blockbuster domestic films released during the traditional Korean holidays. It could also be a major international Hollywood tentpole or a comic book adaptation, but neither of those have been reliable recently.

Fortunately, in 2023 the Korea Box Office saw the release of two official domestic blockbusters.

However, when the year came to an end all of the numbers were tabulated, <12.12: The Day>, came out on top as the 2023 box office champion.

<12.12: The Day> - The Rundown

Directed by KIM Seong-su, <12.12: The Day> is a historical action drama about the Coup d’état of December 12th (also known as the 12.12 Military Insurrection) that took place in 1979, several months after the assassination of President PARK Chung-hee. After President PARK’s assassination, South Korea declared martial law, and many of the political and military decisions that were made during this turbulent period resulted in the modern, democratic society and economic power that Korea is today.

A Korean Blockbuster?

While many countries look at box office revenue to determine the success of a film, in South Korea a movie is considered a blockbuster if has admissions of 10,000,000 people.

<The Admiral: Roaring Currents> (2014) is the top selling Korean blockbuster of all time.

Despite the fact that this film Is set during a historical period, and everyone knows the outcome, many theatre goers have gone back for multiple viewings, much to the joy of theater chains.

(The film doesn’t use real names and several fictional elements are added but the story is still based on true events.)

By the Numbers

<12.12: By the Day> finished 2023 with admissions of 11,854,811 officially making it a Korean blockbuster.

[Additionally, the movie has added 1,000,000 more admissions to its tally since the start of 2024.]

Released by major distributor Megabox Plus M (which also owns major theater chain Megabox) <12.12: The Day> eventually expanded to 2,328 screens nationwide.

As of January, 2024 the <12.12: The Day> has grossed 126.6 billion Korean Won [US$95 million] on a budget of 23.2 billion Korean Won [US$17.4 million].

Cultural Impact: What makes this one so special?

Capturing a New Generation

Set in 1979, the events of <12.12: The Day> happened less than 50 years ago and many people from that era are still alive. However, the movie has really resonated with younger viewers that weren’t’ alive to experience the events first hand. This has been a “coup” for movie exhibitors that, thanks to the ever shrinking release window, have recently seen their younger audience erode as tech savvy and financially conscious teens and twenty-somethings had stopped going to theaters and instead waited for blockbusters to be released on streaming platforms

A Renewed Interest in the Fifth Republic

The popularity of <12.12: The Day> has caused a spike in interest for other historical films that tackle the political events of that era, such as WOO Min-Ho’s <The Man Standing Next> (2020) and JANG Joon-Hwan’s <!987: When the Day Comes> (2017). Many of these films saw enough increased traffic to jump into the top ten rankings on streaming platforms.

<The Man Standing Next> (2020) / <1987: When the Day Comes> (2017)

The Anger Challenge

Probably one of the most interesting things to arise from the movie is the “anger challenge”. In addition to the films masterful execution of high stakes suspense, being a relatively recent historical drama, audiences were very emotionally attached to the outcomes of the characters. The storyline of <12.12: The Day> is such an emotional rollercoaster that viewers began to use their smartwatches to record and share their heart rate progression as they watched this movie. This popular challenge only added to the film’s popularity and helped to increase ticket sales.

While Korean movie theaters still have a lot of work to do to return to their pre-pandemic levels of glory, the success of <12.12: The Day> proves that audiences are still willing venture out if the experience is worth it.