For a decade after the new Millenium, the Korean cinema industry was completely reorganized by three major film investment&distribution companies, CJ Entertainment, Showbox Mediaplex, Lotte Entertainment and their cinema chains, which newly emerged in...
For a decade after the new Millenium, the Korean cinema industry was completely reorganized by three major film investment&distribution companies, CJ Entertainment, Showbox Mediaplex, Lotte Entertainment and their cinema chains, which newly emerged in the late 1990s. The results of the major reorganization were not locale, but global enough to give the brand name of Hallyu(韓流) to Korean cinema. Also, by investing mainly on Korea blockbusters and dominating the screen through their multiplexes, they redefined the traditional concept of cinema as a cultural commodity within Korea before the Millenium into a perfectly capitalistic one, consumer goods. Throughout such changes, the three majors became to put under their control the major production companies, which had led the Korean film industry since the 1990s. This paper will attempt to show these fundamental transformations in its all sectors, focusing on the decline of the major productions.