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South Korean ticketing platform Interpark Ticket generated KRW1 trillion (£603m/$762m/€695m) from January 1 to December 17 2023 to set a new record for the company.
The figure marks an 18% increase compared to the previous high of KRW845.9 billion from 2022.
The number of productions also saw an increase as a total of 18,954 shows took place in 2023, which was 8% more than the previous 12 months. It further represented a 5% rise compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Foreign interest was a driving factor behind the increase in sales. The number of ticket bookings and transaction value from abroad rose by 136% and 370%, respectively, from January to November 2023 on the platform’s global website.
“Global interest in Korean culture and performance is increasing along with global demand for Korean content,” said Kim Kang-se, chief strategy officer at Interpark Ticket, as reported by The Chosun.
By country, Japan accounted for 34% of overseas ticket bookings followed by China with 15% and both Taiwan and the United States at 7% each.
Concert tickets made up three quarters of all purchases while musicals saw a share of 13% and sporting events had 7%.
Among the top 10 productions drawing the highest ticket sales were Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and South Korean productions of Mamma Mia, The Phantom of the Opera, and Rebecca.
Additionally, four concerts performed well including Psy’s Summer Swag 2023 Seoul event, singer Kim Dong-ryul’s Melody, and Lim Young-woong’s ‘I’m Hero Tour 2023 Seoul’.
As well as overall records, Interpark reported several individual landmarks.
A single customer set the record for the highest number of ticket purchases with 515 while another went to see the musical Hero 89 times, making it the most frequently attended performance by an individual.
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