In the summer of 2025, the domestic movie theater is still in a heavy silence. The total number of theaters has continued to decline for three consecutive years, and major multiplexes such as CGV, Lotte Cinema, and Megabox are consolidating the general theater in nationwide to improve profitability. However, there is a lively space. It is a special theater.
The Korea Film Promotion Committee announced ‘In the first half of 2024, the film industry intermediate analysis data’According to the number of audiences in the general theater decreased by 12% compared to the same period last year, the number of special theaters represented by 4DX, IMAX, and Dolby Cinema has increased by 23%.
Experts do this ‘Theater’s technical evolution’Evaluate as. The era of just watching movies has passed, and the audience is responding to immersive content that stimulates the five senses. 4DX stimulates olfactory and touch beyond vision and hearing, and IMAX maximizes content immersion with overwhelming screen and three -dimensional sound. Dolby Cinema provides the audience with ‘only possible experiences in theaters’ through high -quality technology that raised the color, contrast, and the completeness of sound to the limit.
In fact, Megabox focused on the specialty halls in major bases such as Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon instead of withdrawing seven general theaters in the first half of this year. The CGV also converts 80%of the renewal plan to 4DX, screen X, and IMAX, and Lotte Cinema has been more than twice as high as the general public, even though the special theater admission fee is adjusted as a premium plan.
As of 2025, the major audiences who visit theaters have expanded beyond the MZ generation to the Alpha generation. They tended to respond more to ‘experience -type content’ than existing content consumption. The cinema is no longer just a video playback space, but is evolving into a theme park -type content space.
Along with this, 4DX limited seats or IMAX premium seats are preoccupied through open run events. ‘Movie Experience’It also appeared. Which technical experience you have more than content is the standard for consumption decisions. This tendency is especially evident in blockbusters, sci -fi, and animation genres.
In addition, the special theater enables clear differentiation from the OTT platform and is attracting attention as a survival strategy for theaters. The value of a special theater that provides ‘experience only in theaters’ is being re -examined in an environment where you can watch contents such as YouTube, Wave, and Netflix anytime, anywhere.
However, the expansion of special theaters is not easy. Since high cost equipment and maintenance are essential, the introduction is slow in small and medium theaters and local offices. As a result, specialized technical competition is expected to intensify, especially in large multiplex chains.
The crisis of the cinema ‘technology’I’m looking for a breakthrough. Further ‘How do you experience’ rather than ‘what you see’Is an important time. As of 2025, the audience is demanding a sensational experience that goes beyond just a story consumption. The special theater is the only answer that meets these expectations, and is likely to become the flagship channel of the theater industry in the future. The general public hall disappears, and only the experience hall remains. The future of the cinema is in technology.
