Annie, a member of the group All Day Project. [Newsis]
Annie, a member of the group All Day Project. [Newsis]

Annie (real name Moon Seo-yoon), a member of the K-pop group All Day Project and the eldest daughter of Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yoo-kyung and granddaughter of Honorary Chairwoman Lee Myung-hee, has drawn attention after sharing her views on movie ticket prices.

A video titled "Learning Crew - Movies" was posted Friday on All Day Project's official YouTube channel. In it, Annie and fellow members Tarzan, Bailey, Woo-chan and Young-seo sat down with hip-hop producer and rapper Hucky Shibaseki (real name Lee Seung-hyuk) to talk about all things cinema.

The conversation turned to the ongoing debate over ticket prices when Hucky brought up the topic of how to tell whether a film is worth the price of admission.

Tarzan noted that a movie ticket costs 15,000 won ($11) — roughly the same as a month of streaming — while a single subscription gives access to far more content.

Annie acknowledged that some films are exclusive to theaters, but added that if a movie is available on a streaming platform, she would just watch it at home.

When Tarzan pushed back, asking about popcorn, Annie was unfazed. "You can make popcorn at home, and CGV even delivers it," she said.

As the debate among members continued, Hucky stepped in to argue that going to a movie theater is a meaningful experience in itself.

"Going to the movies means buying the whole experience," he said. "You buy popcorn, sit in a seat and watch a film alongside other people all facing the same direction — that's what you're paying for."

He added that 15,000 won seemed reasonable for that experience and that ticket prices had not risen dramatically since his childhood. Member Woo-chan disagreed, however, saying prices had gone up in recent years with the addition of recliner seats and 4D screenings.

After listening to the back-and-forth, Annie delivered her verdict: "I think the ticket price is fair."

46% of moviegoers say they're going to theaters less — and cost is the top reason

Meanwhile, a report on movie consumption trends released by the Korean Film Council last March found that nearly half of moviegoers — 45.8 percent — had reduced the number of times they visited a theater over the previous year, with high ticket prices cited as the leading reason.

Of those who said they were going to theaters less often than the year before, 16.5 percent said their visits had decreased significantly and 29.3 percent said they had decreased somewhat. Only 12.1 percent reported going more often.

Among those who had cut back on theater visits, one in four (25.1 percent) pointed to the cost of admission as the main reason. That was followed by a lack of appealing films (21.5 percent), an abundance of worthwhile content on streaming platforms (17.5 percent), and the availability of films through streaming or video-on-demand services after their theatrical run (17.4 percent).

When asked what they considered a fair ticket price, 41.0 percent of respondents said between 8,000 won and just under 10,000 won — the most common answer. Standard tickets currently run between 14,000 won and 15,000 won.

The survey was conducted last October and targeted people aged 14 to 69 nationwide who had watched at least one film — whether in a theater or via a streaming service — between October 2024 and September 2025.


betterj@heraldcorp.com