Of the Korean films released last year, only seven attracted more than 2 million viewers. Among these, all movies but 'Harbin' were profitable, including 'Pilot' (9.8 billion KRW), 'Firefighters' (9.6 billion KRW), 'Escape' (8.5 billion KRW) were all produced for under 10 billion KRW. On the other hand, aside from the 'BIG 3' - 'Exhuma' (11.91 million KRW), 'The Roundup: Punishment' (11.5 million viewers), and 'Veteran 2' (7.52 million viewers), other so-called blockbusters failed to make a profit. With the overall theater market shrinking, reducing production costs has become necessary.
The situation is even worse for dramas. In the case of films, the recession began when theater attendance plummeted during the pandemic, leading to budget cuts. However, in the case of dramas, demand for K-Content increased following the 'Squid Game' syndrome on Netflix in 2021, causing the fees of top stars and creators to skyrocket. Industry insiders also noted, "The staff labor costs have nearly doubled since the implementation of 52-hour workweek." For instance, tvN's 'Queen of Tears,' which aired last year, cost about 56 billion KRW for 16 episodes, which comes to 3.5 billion KRW per episode. Netflix's 'Gyeongseong Creature' Season 1 and 2 cost about 70 billion KRW to produce a total of 17 episodes.
This has caused production costs for most dramas to soar even higher, leading to deficits. Even SBS 'Good Partner,' which was considered the most successful drama last year with a 17.7% viewer rating, suffered losses. Similarly, tvN's 'Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born,' despite its high viewer ratings of 16.5% and Kim Taeri's outstanding performance, also reportedly suffered losses.
Since last year, each production company and broadcaster has officially begun efforts to improve their financial structure. Meanwhile, the appearance fees for top-tier A-list actors, whose international sales are guaranteed, are set at 300-500 million KRW per episode. Meanwhile, those rated below them are struggling to find work. This is because the number of drama productions has significantly decreased, combined with the sentiment 'Let's just hire fresh, new faces and lower the production costs.' The pressure to keep per-episode production costs within the 700-800 million KRW range intensifies, leading to attempts to lower actors' fees to 100 million KRW and actresses' fees to 30 million KRW.
tvN's 'Lovely Runner,' which aired last year, was a game-changer. This drama initially didn't receive much attention, but then gained popularity through word of mouth and even expanded into international markets, turning the lead actor Byun Wooseok into a global star. Since then, rather than relying on the star's name value to increase the size of productions, the industry has been focusing more on solid content.
-It's not even about experience, just a gender differenceㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Does it mean a BL drama costs 200 million KRW, while a GL drama costs 60 million KRW?
-Are they out of their minds?ㅋㅋ
-Make it 30 million KRW for actors tooㅋㅋㅋ Why do they get 100 million KRW?
-Make it 100 million KRW for both actors and actresses. Don't discriminate by gender, you wretched things. Why do actresses only get 30%?ㅋㅋㅋ The gap is crazy.
-I'm so pissed off.
-I watch movies and dramas for the actressesㅋㅋ Who are even the popular male actors these days anyway?
-Wow... The difference is huge. What's the reason?
-Honestly speaking, I will only watch a drama or movie if I like the actresses.
-ㅋㅋ Honestly, 30 million KRW is a lot too. Why are they getting 30 million KRW or 100 million KRW for filming one drama? That's what people with regular job make in a yearㅋㅋㅋ
-Just pay both 50 million KRW.
-Why is there a difference between men and women? If it was a difference in age, I'd understand. But is there a need for a difference between men and women?
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I'm speechless
-Honestly, it's the staff who do all the hard work. Celebrities get too much money.
-Must be nice to be a man.
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