[스경연예연구소] Bald cosplay… will cinemas be revitalized with unique screenings?

From bald heads to cosplay, theaters are hosting unique screenings and grabbing visitors’ attention. It could also be read as a self-help move to revive a once-stagnant theater district.

On the 14th, as an event screening of the movie “Bugonia”, a so-called “bald screening” was held at CGV. “Bugonia” is a 2025 new film by Yorgos Lanthimos, a remake of the Korean film “Save the Planet”. In the show, Michelle Fuller, played by Emma Stone, is the CEO of a multinational pharmaceutical company who is forced to shave her head by Teddy Gates (played by Jesse Plemons) who has a grudge against her.

CGV later revealed the screening site and said: “This is a movie that is more sincere in concept than anyone else.” The event is characterized by borrowing scenes from the work, and only bald people are allowed to enter. Audience members walked around the theater with their heads bare, went to cafes and watched movies together, and formed friendships naturally.

This type of “bald screening” first started at a preview held at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles, USA on October 20, local time. At the time, the event’s organizer, American arts and independent film company Focus Features, posted an unconventional sign that read “Only those bald or prepared to have their heads shaved on site are allowed in.” The strange concept attracted attention and spread to several cities across the United States.

Lately, theaters have been encouraging audience participation by offering unique screenings like this. Before the bald screening, CGV held a cosplay screening of the movie “Ghost Mom” ​​on the 1st. The event was held at the Konkuk University entrance, Yeongdeungpo, and Hongik University campuses, and it encouraged cosplay costumes and received a positive response from fans by providing special goods to participants of the SNS verification event.

As of the 19th, the cumulative number of viewers exceeded 5.63 million. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinite Castle”, which ranked first among Japanese animations, also attracted attention through the support screening of “Shiraiji vs. Tanjiro & Giyuu” hosted by Megabox. Unlike general cheer venues, it attracts a lot of attention by actively encouraging cosplay dressing. Audiences participated in event screenings by writing messages of support for specific characters on cheer signs.

It looks like the recent downturn in theaters has had a major impact on theaters that continue to show unique screenings like this. According to the Korea Film Agency, the cumulative number of domestic theater audiences in 2024 will be 123.12 million, a decrease of 1.6% from the previous year and remaining at half the level of about 220 million before COVID-19 in 2019.

In addition, the debt ratio of leading diversified company CGV has soared to over 600% by 2025. This means debt is six times capital. The amount of borrowings that must be repaid within one year is as high as 997.7 billion won, and the financial burden is very high. The situation is similar to Megabox Central (debt ratio 962.7%) and Lotte Culture Factory (1124.9%).

At the same time, it is believed that unique screenings will help revitalize theaters. That’s because well-conceptualized events like bald or cosplay screenings, rather than simply filling seats for an episode, can have a huge viral effect by encouraging viewers to voluntarily share photos and comments on social media, without the cost of advertising.

Pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun said, “Because the situation in theaters is so bad, no matter what you do, you have no choice but to come up with ideas, try to break into niche markets, and try to attract and expand here and there.” He added, “If such an event becomes a problem, it can attract a certain number of viewers instead of not doing it at all, and if multiple events accumulate like dust, it will have the effect of causing the total number of viewers to increase.”