[Exclusive] Minister-Backed ‘Subscription-Based Movie Pass’ Disappears From Budget

[Financial News] The introduction of the ‘subscription-based movie pass’ proposed by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young has fallen through. The pass was not included in the government’s 2027 budget proposal. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) had said they would launch a program, modeled on overseas examples, allowing users to watch unlimited movies after paying a set monthly or weekly fee. The plan has ultimately been scrapped.
According to documents submitted by the MCST to Jo Eun-hee, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, the ministry requested that the Ministry of Planning and Budget allocate funds for a ‘subscription-based movie ticket’ program, but the request was rejected.
In a December 2025 work-plan briefing, Minister Choi said he would introduce a ‘subscription-based movie pass’ to help revive the struggling theater industry. He described it as “a concept in which people pay a set amount and can watch movies freely at theaters for a certain period,” adding, “It was an idea that emerged from meetings with theaters, film production companies and film professionals. Everyone appeared to agree, and we are working to develop it.”
MCST planned to finalize the details in the first half of 2026 and launch the program as early as 2027. At a meeting on February 12, the ministry said, “We are discussing this idea based on the expectation that people who visit a theater even once will return more frequently,” adding, “We intend to design various types of programs to bring prospective and potential audiences into theaters.”
The program was modeled on examples from countries including France and the United States. France has operated a movie pass called Pathé since the early 2000s. Under the model, users can watch unlimited movies for about 20 euros a month. AMC Theatres allows customers to watch four movies a week for 20 to 28 dollars a month. The Korean government was also reportedly considering a plan allowing users to watch four movies for 15,000 won a month.
However, the program will not be implemented. MCST submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Planning and Budget for a pass limited to theaters dedicated to independent and art-house films, excluding multiplexes such as CJ CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox. The proposal was not included in the 2027 budget. MCST planned to allow pass holders who paid 15,000 won a month to watch up to three movies per month. The aim was to promote greater diversity in film culture and strengthen the independent and art-house film ecosystem’s ability to sustain itself.
Jo Eun-hee said, “While the subscription pass championed by the minister failed even to clear the budget hurdle, the budget for the Youth Culture Pass—which subsidizes ticket prices for young people watching popular box-office hits—was increased 22-fold to 800 billion won annually. This raises the question of whether MCST is being dragged into the government’s cash-based ‘coupon politics.’” She urged the ministry to “move beyond stopgap measures that temporarily cover movie ticket prices with taxpayers’ money and pursue structural reforms that fundamentally reduce the burden of admission fees and revitalize film production and investment.”
[email protected] Lee Hae-ram Reporter