Movie box-office articles always lead with audience figures.
A few million in a matter of days. A certain all-time rank.
But industry insiders are actually watching a different number.
3-line summary
1. Spider-Man surpassed 400만 in 7 days.
2. Its North American opening-weekend revenue was US$3억 6,000만 (US$360 million; 6000만 is six thousand ten-thousands).
3. A film’s box-office staying power is indicated not by audience figures, but by seat sales rate.
400만 in 7 Days, US$3억 6,000만 in North America
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” opened on July 29.
Over its first 3-day weekend (July 31–August 2), it drew 225만 2,469명 (2,252,469 moviegoers). According to a Money Today report, it was the first release this year to exceed 200만 over a 3-day weekend.
Then, on August 4, it surpassed 400만 on its 7th day of release. Bridge Economy reported that this was the fastest record among foreign films released domestically since 2020.
North America was similar. According to a News1 report, its opening-weekend revenue reached US$3억 6,000만, surpassing the US$3억 5,700만 set by “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019.
But audience figures are only half the information
Audience figures are the product of two things: how many people wanted to see the movie, and how many seats were made available.
The latter is the issue. If a film secures many screens in its opening week, its audience figure automatically rises. With the same level of popularity, doubling the number of showtimes doubles the number.
So audience figures alone cannot distinguish between “a film occupying many theaters” and “a film many people wanted to see.”
Screen-count statistics should not be read at face value, either. In the Korean Film Council’s tally, if one theater alternates among four films, it is counted as four screens. That differs from the number of physical auditoriums.
Seat occupancy rate and seat sales rate are not the same thing
This brings us to the second number. Their names are similar and are often confused, but they mean different things.
| Term | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Seat occupancy rate | How many seats were allocated |
| Seat sales rate | How many of those seats were sold |
The Korean Film Council has reported the two separately since May 2018. The former shows how much space theaters gave the film; the latter shows how much audiences actually filled that space.
A film’s box-office staying power shows up in the latter. No matter how many auditoriums a film secures, it will lose them the following week if no one sits in the seats. Conversely, if a film keeps selling out despite having few auditoriums, it gains more.
A “42.8% advance-ticketing rate” does not mean that, either
The same trap exists with advance ticketing. An article said this film ranked No. 1 with a 42.8% advance-ticketing rate, but 42.8% here does not mean that 42.8% of this film’s seats had been sold.
Using Cine21’s distinction:
| Term | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Advance-ticketing rate | The share of that film’s seats sold in advance |
| Advance-ticketing share | That film’s share of all advance tickets sold |
The figure shown on rankings is the latter. It means that 43 out of every 100 advance tickets sold at theaters that day were for this film—not that 43% of this film’s seats were filled.
That is why the figure rises as a film secures more screens. It is an indicator tilted in favor of major films, while smaller films may be full but remain hard to spot on the rankings.
What stands out for this film is its premium-format performance
According to CJ, domestic SCREENX and 4DX seat occupancy exceeded 90% during the opening weekend. Major showtimes sold out quickly, and the CGV Egg Index held at 97%.
Why are premium-format results a signal? Tickets cost more and there are fewer showtimes. They do not fill unless audiences make a deliberate trip and pay more.
People may enter a standard auditorium because the timing happens to work, but 4DX seats do not sell that way. This is the point in this film’s performance worth watching most closely.
What to watch next week
To properly assess the pace of a box-office run, look at three things in order.
The second-weekend drop. How much does the second weekend fall from the first? If it drops below half, it means the run ended with opening-weekend fan audiences, while holding within 30% indicates that word of mouth has taken hold.
Weekday audience figures. People go to theaters on weekends even when there is nothing to watch. How many come on Tuesday and Wednesday reflects actual demand.
Whether seat sales rate holds. Even if audience figures decline, a steady sales rate means theaters were reduced—not that popularity cooled. A real decline is when both fall together.
Anyone can view these figures through the Korean Film Council’s Integrated Computer Network for Movie Tickets. Daily seat occupancy rates and sales rates are published separately.
The number that changes next week’s showtimes
The figure of 400만 is accurate. But that figure alone does not tell us how long this film will last.
What appears in large type in articles is always the former, but what changes next week’s showtimes is the latter.
Sources
- Money Today Will “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” Reach 1000만? Box-Office Momentum as Hot as the Heat Wave
- Bridge Economy “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” Surpasses 400만 in 7 Days…Fastest Foreign-Film Record Since the Pandemic
- News1 5151억원…“Spider-Man 4” Has the No. 1 North American Opening of All Time, Surpassing “Avengers: Endgame”
- CJ Newsroom “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” SCREENX·4DX Box-Office Explosion
- Cine21 Let’s Understand Advance-Ticketing Rate and Advance-Ticketing Share
- Korean Film Council Box Office Statistics Guide · Daily Seat Occupancy Rate
The distinction between seat occupancy rate and seat sales rate, as well as the screen-counting method, follows the Korean Film Council’s statistical guide.