Police in Korea on Tuesday raided three major multiplex chains and the offices of three film distributors on suspicion of box office manipulation, according to multiple local media reports. News agency Yonhap, citing officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Police, said the six entities are alleged to have obstructed the business of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) by falsely counting audience numbers for some local films.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption and Public Crimes Investigation Division said it is conducting the operations at a cinema from each of the CGV, Megabox and Lotte Cinema chains, Zapzee reports. Per SBS News, police sent investigators to the cinemas to secure data such as ticketing details related to the alleged manipulation. The distribution companies, SBS News said, are Showbox, Lotte Entertainment and Kidari Studio.
Named by SBS News, among the films suspected of having their box office falsely inflated are last year’s drama Emergency Declaration which released in August, and crime pic Hot Blooded, which released in March. A further two films are also under suspicion, the outlet said.
A translated version of the SBS report reads that police suspect tickets were purchased in bulk with so-called “ghost screenings” held in an empty theater.
Emergency Declaration was the No. 14 movie last year in Korea while Hot Blooded ranked No. 50, according to KOFIC’s box office service KOBIZ.
KOFIC manages box office data, including the audience numbers and sales for each movie, through the Korean Box Office Information System, to which multiplexes and film distributors report box office numbers.