Korean box office had record year in 2011

South Korean films had a record year, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and its box office report for 2011. The governmental body has announced total box office receipts came to a record KW1.23 trillion (US$1.1 billion) last year, up 7.4% from 2010. Admissions also rose to 159 million, up 8.7% compared to the year before.

Korean films took 52% market share, making it the first time in four years that they took more than half the market. KOFIC's research department credits domestic films such as "Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon", "Sunny - 2010", "Punch", and "The Crucible" for creating word-of-mouth not just at the cinema but in wider society. Several Korean films brought up social issues and created waves, even prompting new legislature as in the case of "Silenced", which is based on a true story of child abuse at a school for the hearing impaired.

Export figures also went up for the first time in five years, with completed films making a total of US$15.8m, which is up 16.5% compared to 2010. A record 366 films were sold last year. The last record was in 2008 with 361 films. Asia was the biggest buyer, accounting for 56.9% of Korean film sales, while Europe accounted for 22.2% and North America 10.5%

On average, South Koreans saw 3.15 films last year, up from 2.92 in 2010.

Top 10 Foreign & Local Films in 2011
(Title/ Distributor/ Admissions/ Gross)
*Rankings are by number of admissions.

1. Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon (CJ E&M) 7,784,944/ KW74.8 billion (US$66.3million)
2. "War of the Arrows" (a.k.a. "Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon") (Lotte Entertainment) 7,470,633/ KW55.8 billion(US$49.4 million)
3. "Sunny - 2010" (CJ E&M) 7,362,657/ KW54 billion (US$47.8m)
4. "Punch" (CJ E&M) 5,309,928/ KW38.5 billion (US$34million)
5. Kung Fu Panda2 (CJ E&M) 5,062,722/ KW44.3 billion (US$39million)
6. Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol (CJ E&M) 5,042,164/ KW38.2 billion (US$33.9million)
7. "Detective K": Secret of Virtuous Widow (Showbox / Mediaplex) 4,786,259/ KW35.8 billion (US$31.7million)
8. "The Crucible" (CJ E&M) 4,662,822/ KW35.5 billion (US$31.5million)
9. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Warner Brothers Korea) 4,400,298/ KW34.5 billion (US$30.5million)
10. Real Steel (Sony Pictures Releasing Buena Vista International Korea) 3,579,666/ KW26.5 billion(US$23.5m)