"Moulin Rouge!" (CJ Entertainment)
South Korea’s major performance ticketing platform Interpark Ticket has set a historic milestone in annual ticket transactions in 2023.
The ticket sales from Jan. 1 to Dec. 17 reached an unprecedented 1 trillion won ($772 million), according to data provided by Interpark, the country's first-generation e-commerce platform, Friday.
The figure represents an 18-percent increase compared to the previous record of 845.9 billion won set in 2022.
The number of productions also saw a significant uptick, reaching 18,954 in 2023, an 8-percent increase from the previous year, and a 5-percent rise compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The surge in demand for performances, which had been subdued due to the pandemic, has led to a rapid recovery in the industry in 2023, said an official from Interpark.
The most popular productions of the year were dominated by large-scale musicals and concerts.
Among the top 10 productions boasting the highest ticket sales, overseas entries included the Asian premiere of “Moulin Rouge!,” the US production of “Chicago” and the Canadian Cirque Du Soleil’s “Luzia: A Waking Dream of Mexico.”
Korean musical productions that captured audience's hearts were: "Mamma Mia!," "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Rebecca."
Additionally, four concerts secured top positions, including the 27th edition of Hyundai Card's "Super Concert" series with Bruno Mars, Psy’s annual concert "Summer Swag 2023 Seoul,” singer Kim Dong-ryul's "Melody” and the sensational trot singer Lim Young-woong's "I'm Hero Tour 2023 Seoul."
The audience gives a standing ovation after "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Dream Theater in Busan on April 1. (S&CO)
A set of records has been achieved on the part of audiences as well.
The individual customer who holds the record for the highest number of ticket purchases managed to secure a total of 515 tickets, up until November.
Notably, one dedicated customer watched the musical "Hero" 89 times, making it the most frequently attended performance by an individual. The musical, which ran from Dec. 21, 2022 to Feb. 28, 2023 at the LG Art Center and again from Mar. 17 to May 21 in 2023 at Blue Square, narrates the short yet dramatic life of Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910).
Securing second place, another customer attended the Korean production of Douglas Maxwell's play, "Our Bad Magnet," 47 times.
Breaking down the highest number of ticket purchases by genre, musicals took the lead with 411 tickets purchased by one customer, followed by plays with 333 tickets, and concerts with 133 tickets.
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