Viewer numbers for South Korean movies nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in May, data showed Wednesday, with some big hits leading the way.

According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), films screened in the country totaled 14.55 million admissions in May, the highest monthly figure since 16.84 million in January 2020 – the last full month before the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19.

The May figure was also a massive jump from just 3.21 million admissions in April.

During the pandemic, monthly attendance bottomed out at 970,000 admissions in April 2020 and hovered around a few million in the following months.

Marvel’s latest blockbuster “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and Korean action-comedy “The Roundup” have done the heavy lifting since their May premieres.

The sequel to “Doctor Strange” had attracted more than 5.8 million admissions until Tuesday. ‘The Roundup’, the sequel to 2017 hit ‘The Outlaws’, topped the box office with over 7 million admissions.

“The Roundup” is the most-watched movie in South Korea in 2022 and also the biggest Korean hit here during the pandemic. It surpassed the 7 million admissions mark on its 14th day, the fastest to reach that milestone since “Parasite” did so in 12 days in May 2019.

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “The Roundup” will face off against two award-winning films hitting theaters this month.

“Broker”, for which South Korean star Song Kang-ho won first prize for interpretation at the Cannes Film Festival, will premiere next Wednesday. “Decision to Leave,” which South Korean director Park Chan-wook won Best Director at Cannes, will be unveiled on June 29. (Yonhap)