The Play Cult(ure) of the Movie Theater in South Korea
The King sits atop the throne of his "Hermit Kingdom" that is has been historically beleaguered by the interests of greater kingdoms and nations hungry and competing for resources to feed their empires and interests. To save itself from being swept up like "a shrimp among whales", the king strived to keep the country out of the world's way and keep to itself. Are we talking about Wakanda or Korea? You decide. But there are enough parallels to make this fanciful painting have some punch one might not have ever expected. This panel was part of a display or painted works done by Korean artists for the premiere of Black Panther in the Yongsan CGV.
Let us cut right to the chase. South Korea is an amazing place to watch movies. This is because theaters are actually places of culture. As such, they are the ultimate spaces in which to do everything from go on a first (or 22nd) date, have an elevated shopping experience, or just see a movie. The CGV is representative of the tendency of the public spaces to be considered play spaces for adults as well. This is due to the unique ways many public (and often commercial/corporate) spaces are organized in a multi-modal way that maximizes the flexible sociality (Cho 1999) of the built environment in Seoul. These and other ideas about what I have been increasingly referring to as a uniquely-evolved kind of “K-SPACE” — such as found in CGVs not only in Korea but also being exported through/by CGVs in Vietnam. If you’re interested in learning more about the “playgrounds of Seoul” and K-SPACE, please read this picture-filled and informative article, “Exploring K-spaces: The New Playgrounds of Seoul.” But for now, another work of art from the Black Panther exhibition at the Yongsan CGV.
This is what CGV means by their slogan “evolving beyond movies.” One has to hand it to them — corporate marketing slogans are often superficial, pat, or even devoid of meaning, but CGV delivers on their words. I stood and took in the art for around 30 minutes, as each is a uniquely commissioned and created work of art.
Done in the exact style of the classic, Joseon-era Korean painting by Kim Deuk-shin, it’s an hilarious take on the meeting of a Black Panther and Korea.
The original, classic work “야묘도추“ ("Street Cat Stealing a Chick”) by Kim Deuk-shin
CJ’s CGV — the once internationally hybrid CJ, Golden Harvest, and Village Roadshow joint venture, now owned solely by the CJ Group — engages in this kind of multi-modal, multi-purpose, all fun and profit kind of thing all the time. One never knows what might pop up at large CGV complexes, be it a virtual reality expo space trip, MCU-themed fine art exhibit, or a giant array of video projectors showing 1980s-style video games controlled by remotes attached to lobby seats — but you do know you’re in for some adult-level, playground surprises outside the film itself. This one reason South Korean movie theater attendance is the highest per capita on planet Earth. Koreans. Love. Going to the Movies . and who could blame them? Like many other public space in Korea, it’s a playground and a great time for all big kid grownups. Kidulting done right.
If you’re going to do anything in the Korean theater space or any public leisure/playspace in Korea, you need to know that this ain’t AMC in the USA or a German theater serving sugar on the popcorn. It’s an American-style playground filled with American concession/projector equipment from the kitschy, red popcorn machines to the JBL speaker-driven Dolby Digital Atmos™ or Sony SDDS audio experiences, yet placed into a larger South Korean imperative to engage in wholesome, adult play “beyond movies.”