24-hour theaters, special summer showings fun and cheap ways to stay cool


The summer is here and the mercury is rising.

While many go overseas or to the countryside for their vacation, there’s another place close by to escape the heat ― the movie theater.

From 24-hour theaters to old horror movies, it’s easy to cool down without spending a lot of money.

24-hour movie theaters

For Seoulites staying in the city for the summer, the option of watching a movie is available 24 hours a day. Targeting late-night moviegoers in the summer season, Lotte Cinema and CGV started operating some of their theater branches, including CGV Gangnam and Lotte Konkuk University branch, around the clock last month. 

CGV, which turned its Gangnam branch into its only 24-hour theater last month, expanded the concept to 16 branches last week in response to popular customer demand. A lot of the visitors who come to the theaters at night are young couples on a date and those who wish to get away from the heat, according to CGV promoter Kim Dae-hee.

“Everything is open late at night in the Gangnam area anyways,” said Shin Jeong-yeon, who was at CGV Gangnam on Wednesday at 9 p.m. with her boyfriend.

“In the summer you end up hanging out late because the weather’s more pleasant at night. So you eat out and drink in this area and come here instead of going home early. There’s a movie, popcorn and air-conditioning.”

Good prices also attract people to the theaters. At CGV, those who purchase tickets for after-midnight screenings are given a free mini popcorn. Those watching two movies in a row after midnight will be given a mini-sized pillow. 

Meanwhile, Lotte Cinema currently runs nine 24-hour theaters nationwide, including the Konkuk University and Nowon branches in Seoul and other branches in Bucheon and Busan. Lotte also offers discounts for those who purchase tickets for films that are screened after midnight. Tickets for most movies after midnight cost 5,000 won. For more information on CGV and Lotte’s 24-hour theaters, visit www.cgv.co.kr and www.lottecinema.co.kr.

Olympic soccer on silver screen

You may not be able to go to London, but there is a way to enjoy the upcoming Olympics with just as much excitement. CGV will be broadcasting three Olympic soccer matches live, in full HD, at about 40 theaters nationwide. The games are: Mexico vs. Korea on July 26 at 10:30 p.m.; Switzerland vs. Korea on July 29 at 1:15 a.m.; and Gabon vs. Korea on Aug. 1 at 1 a.m. (screening times in Korean time).

Before the match against Mexico, the audience will be asked to guess the score, write it down, and submit it to the CGV staff. Those who get the score right will win free movie tickets.

Those who purchase tickets for Korea’s matches against Switzerland and Gabon will be given an extra movie ticket for free so they can watch a film after the games and take the first subway or bus the next morning.

“Watching the Olympics in a theater is almost like watching the games in the VIP seats of a London stadium,” said Kang Kyung-ho from CGV.

“One can cheer as a group, watch the players playing in HD, and really benefit from the audio quality of our movie theaters.”

All tickets cost 10,000 won. To book and purchase tickets, visit www.cgv.co.kr.

Movies by the river

One of the best ways to shake off the heat of the summer nights is to get near the water. Korean Film Archive is organizing outdoor screenings where participants can watch movies while enjoying the night breeze from the river.

This year’s movie selection includes director Lee Yong-ju’s box-office smash romance “Architecture 101,” Kang Hyung-chul’s retro flick “Sunny,” and Oh Sung-yun’s tearjerker animation “Leafie, a Hen into the Wild.” Meanwhile, 1948 Korean silent film “A Prosecutor and a School Teacher” will be screened along with live-narration and music by a “byeonsa,” a silent film narrator. 

The program runs from July 14 to Aug 26 at a total of 11 river sites in the country, including Ipobo, Yeojubo, and Dalseongbo. Admission is free. For this year’s full schedule and line-up, call (02) 3153-2038.

Horror movies from the past

Located near Insa-dong, Seoul Art Cinema is the city’s only non-profit cinematheque ― a film archive with small venues that screen mostly classic and art-house films. If you are not a huge blockbuster fan, or simply would like to try something different, Seoul Art Cinema’s annual summer program, “Cine-Vacances Seoul,” might have something of interest.

This year, about 25 films will be screened. The selection consists of horror, science fiction and European drama films from the 1960s to the present. Horror movie fans should check out its zombie movie selection, which includes American director George A. Romero’s 1968 film “Night of the Living Dead” and Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald’s “Pontypool.”

Seven American cult films from the ‘70s and ‘80s have been selected to be screened for this year’s program: They include Sam Raimi’s 1981 comedy horror “The Evil Dead”; Michael Mann’s 1981 neo-noir film “Thief”; Brian De Palma’s 1978 supernatural thriller “The Fury”; and John Carpenter’s 1982 sci-fi horror “The Thing.”

“The root of the word ‘vacance’ actually means to vacate,” said Seoul Art Cinema’s programmer Kim Sung-wook.

“I hope people can vacate their mind of worries and their to-do lists during this summer break, and fill it in with movies and what they can offer.”

The program runs from July 26 to Aug. 26. Tickets range from 4,000 won to 6,000 won. For this year’s full line-up, visit www. cinematheque.seoul.kr or call (02) 741-9782.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)