1. It has been nine months since COVID-19, one of the deadliest viruses in history, started spreading in Korea.
The whole world is trying to eradicate COVID-19 by implementing preventative measures and developing vaccines. Despite all of these efforts, there is still a long way to go. In Korea, the number of infected people dramatically increased because of a massive rally attended by some Christians. No one can predict when this pandemic will end, with some medical experts even arguing that COVID-19 will coexist with humanity forever. This virus is influencing all areas of life. In the political field, many leaders are being evaluated according to their crisis management competences. In the economic field, most industries have been harmed, reporting their worst figures which are comparable to the effects of the Great Depression in the U.S. in the early twentieth century. Many economists call this situation ‘The Great Lockdown.’ All trade has declined with many deals being canceled. The culture field is no exception. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the Dubai Expo have been delayed one year, and numerous movies, shows, exhibitions, and festivals are being canceled. This article discusses how COVID-19 has affected the culture industry and how the culture industry will move forward.
2. Movie releases have been delayed due to COVID-19
First, COVID-19 has adversely affected the movie industry. Because of the mass spread of COVID-19, movies that were supposed to be released in 2020 have been delayed. An example is Marvel Studio’s Black Widow. Its release has been put back from April to October. This means that other movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are also being delayed in turn. A similar example is the Avatar series, created by James Cameron, and numerous other movies have had their releases delayed. Meanwhile, some movie producers predict a prolonged pandemic and have therefore decided to forego theatrical releases. The Korean movie Time to Hunt was supposed to be released in February 2020, but the producers chose to launch it on Netflix because of the pandemic.
3. The film industry has fallen into depression due to the drastic decline in cinemagoers
Box office sales are at record lows. Because of movie postponements, a tremendous decline in ticket sales has harmed the industry. According to research by the Korean Film Council, Korean film industry sales will decrease by up to 20 percent, and over 20,000 people who work in the industry will suffer from insecure employment. In April, especially, the number of people who went to the cinema decreased by 94 percent compared to last year. Moreover, most movies’ release dates were postponed and the production of many films was stopped due to COVID-19. Therefore, many experts predict that the recovery of the film industry will not be possible for some time. The depression of the film industry has caused multiplex cinemas to plunge into recession. Because of the decrease in visitors and the fact that people are vulnerable to transmission of the virus in cinemas, multiplexes are finding it difficult to overcome this situation. Medical experts say that cinemas are dangerous places where the virus can spread because lots of people eat and chat while watching a movie for two hours in a confined place, and cinemas tend not to be cleaned carefully. Thus, cinemas need to spread moviegoers out and even cease operations when COVID-19 infection rates increase. More and more people are watching movies at home and not going to the cinema in order to practice social distancing as well.
4. Where people watch movies has changed
If the traditional method of watching a movie is to go to a cinema, today OTT services (over-the-top media services) are replacing the cinema. Netflix, which launched its service in Korea in 2016, is a well-known example of an OTT service. OTT services provide media content via the Internet. Netflix is now one of the beneficiaries of COVID-19 because its sales this year have dramatically increased. Borders are closed and movement within the country is restricted, so lots of people are enjoying indoor activities to avoid contacting other people. Watching movies on Netflix has become a perfect alternative to going to the cinema. During the first quarter of this year, Netflix added 16 million new subscribers globally. The reason for this huge surge in the number of subscribers might be the entertaining content offered on Netflix, but it is clear that the effect of COVID-19 is one of the reasons. In Korea, there is also a domestic OTT service called Watcha. It was also launched in 2016, in opposition to Netflix. Watcha is famous for recommending content after considering its subscribers’ tastes. Watcha’s subscribers now total 1 million, which is lower than the number of Netflix subscribers, but Watcha’s number of subscribers is continuously increasing as it offers high-quality entertainment. Due to COVID-19, the way people enjoy movies has fundamentally transformed.
5. The growth of ‘untact’ culture
As mentioned above, many moviegoers now fear going to cinemas, so they are using OTT services to watch movies. These days, it has become possible to enjoy movies or music without going to cinemas or concerts thanks to the development of technology. In other words, ‘untact consumption’ has become vital to the culture industry. The notion of ‘untact’ refers to minimizing contact between people by using technology. These are some examples of untact consumption: ordering food for delivery using an application or by making a phone call, and shopping online by simply clicking a button on a mouse.
In fact, the growth of the untact phenomenon in the culture industry was sluggish because social contact is important in this field. When we go to a concert hall, listening to music is not the sole reason for going. The reason we go to a concert hall is to see our favorite singers’ in person, feel the exciting atmosphere of the performance, and communicate with others interested in the same music. But nowadays this is not possible because of COVID-19, so people try to find new untact ways to enjoy culture. One frequently used platform is YouTube, which can be used to broadcast live concerts. Last June, the world-famous K-pop boy group BTS performed a live online concert to 750,000 fans all over the world. This concert was hugely successful and many BTS fans were able to communicate with each other online.
6. How is the culture industry transforming the method of untact?
No one knows how long this pandemic will last, but it is clear that we should social distance and wear masks for a long time to stem the spread of COVID-19. Every part of our society is adopting untact ways, and the culture industry is no exception. The way we watch movies, one of the most popular free-time activities, has seen great changes with the development of OTT services, and many music performances are now being broadcast solely online. Naturally, there are limits to experiencing culture by untact means, but it is necessary to adapt how we live to overcome the current grave situation. Culture is an important aspect of life and a basic need; however, you should enjoy it while practicing social distancing to prevent harming your neighbor.
 

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