‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Ticket Sales Halted in South Korea Amid Controversy

South Korea has emerged as a focal point for the upcoming release of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, with fans historically turning out in large numbers for the franchise. What initially seemed like a routine advance ticket rollout quickly became a major headline due to unexpected developments.

Presales for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ launched in South Korea across various premium formats, including IMAX, ScreenX, 4DX, Dolby Cinema, and MX4D. Notably, this marks the first time a film was shot specifically for the ScreenX format rather than being converted later. This high demand resulted in the best first-day presales revenue for any comic book movie in South Korea this decade, according to the tracking account Global Box Office.

However, the excitement was short-lived. Presales have now been completely halted in South Korea following pressure from local film industry groups who claimed that the early ticket sales were detrimental to the struggling domestic film sector.

The Korean Film Council abruptly suspended and canceled all ticket presales for the film after Sony initiated sales on July 8, prior to the movie receiving its official age rating classification from the Media Rating Board. This regulatory step is mandatory for all film releases in the country. Over 103,000 tickets had already been sold before the government-backed agency ordered the halt, leading major chains like CGV, Lotte Cinema, and Megabox to manage a wave of cancellations and refunds.

Domestic film groups accused the distributor of gaining an unfair advantage by bypassing the required processes, reigniting long-standing tensions regarding the influence of Hollywood blockbusters on Korean cinema. South Korea has a screen quota system that mandates theaters to show domestic films for at least 146 days a year to prevent foreign films from dominating local screens, a policy that has resurfaced as a contentious issue due to the aggressive marketing of this film.

The timing of the suspension has added to the frustration, coinciding with the onset of South Korea’s monsoon season, a period that typically sees a significant increase in theater attendance. One theater chain had already structured its screen allocation plans around this surge. IT teams reportedly worked overnight to disable booking access across ticketing systems to prevent further transactions while the situation was addressed.

This controversy arises as the film is already exceeding box office expectations in other markets, with domestic presales in the United States surpassing 40 million dollars and projections indicating a domestic opening of over 250 million dollars. Deadline has confirmed that the film achieved the strongest first-day presales in the US in five years, a record previously held by ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’.

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ features Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon, and is set to hit theaters worldwide on July 31. With South Korean regulators now navigating the aftermath of this suspension, it remains uncertain whether presales will resume before the release, or if this will become another chapter in the ongoing struggle between global franchises and local film industry protections.

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