SEOUL, March 28 (Korea Bizwire) — As the pandemic drags on, South Korean multiplex operators are turning into alternative stages for K-pop artists.
K-pop supergroup BTS’ “Permission To Dance On Stage – Seoul,” taking place in Seoul for the first time in more than two years, was released as a live broadcast at multiplex theaters including CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox with more than 50,000 tickets sold.
NCT 127, EXO’s Kai, SHINee’s Key and Brave Girls have also given virtual live performances at movie theaters.
Boy band Seventeen will be releasing “Seventeen Power of Love: the Movie,” a documentary of an online concert that took place last November, in theaters worldwide next month.
K-pop girl group BLACKPINK released “Blackpink: the Movie” to celebrate the fifth anniversary of their debut last year, garnering more than 500,000 viewers from all around the world.
For multiplex chains, which have seen their customer numbers plummet by two-thirds during the pandemic era, virtual K-pop performances are an alternative source of income.
Artists and agencies, too, see theaters as a secondary source of income amid restrictions on the number of spectators allowed into offline concerts.
Image Credit: Lotte Cultureworks / Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
