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Korean Animation vs Japan: Multi-Genre Strategy Challenges Theater Dominance

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Korean Animation vs Japan: Multi-Genre Strategy Challenges Theater Dominance
Type	Other	Genre	Animation

Korean Animation vs Japan: Multi-Genre Strategy Challenges Theater Dominance

This article is notable because it shows how Korean animation is crafting a multi-pronged strategy—

leveraging nostalgic IP, webtoon adaptations, and family franchises—to carve out space in theaters

dominated by Japanese titles, signaling new export and investment opportunities.

♦ Box Office Battle Lines Drawn

• Japanese hits like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Attack on Titan the Movie :

The Last Attack dominate Korean theaters despite strong competition

• Korean animation fights back with Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning (500K) earning critical praise and

King of Kings breaking 1.3M admissions

♦ Nostalgic IP Gets Modern Makeover

• Run, Hani returns for its 40th anniversary with Run, Hani, Bad Girl, spotlighting rival character Ae-ri Na

to attract both nostalgic adults and new youth audiences

• The film expands its universe with new characters while balancing emotional depth with generational

appeal during Chuseok release

♦ Webtoon Adaptation Targets Global Festivals

• Your Letter, adapted from a webtoon rated 9.98, blends polished visuals with a music-driven OST led by

AKMU’s Su-hyun Lee for fresh youth appeal

• Already invited to OIAF, Annecy-linked festivals, and BIAF, positioning it as globalready, auteur-quality

Korean animation with strong festival credentials

♦ Major Distributors Signal Market Confidence

• NEW (Run, Hani, Bad Girl), Lotte Entertainment (Your Letter), and CJ CGV (Bread Barbershop)

collectively back Korean animation titles with major investment

• Bread Barbershop continues steady growth with previous films, proving stable family audience

scalability against Japanese competition

Source

Dailian. (2025. 9. 13)

Source

Dailian