Minister Choi Hwi-young: “Talks on the film ‘holdback period’ near conclusion; further deliberation needed”

[Financial News] Discussions on introducing a “holdback” system—a waiting period between a film’s theatrical release and its online release—are nearing their final stage, but further deliberations are continuing amid differences among participants. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young said the government would wait for the industry to reach a voluntary agreement rather than decide the outcome itself.
At the fourth meeting of the Film Subcommittee of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee, held at MMCA Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 13th, Minister Choi said, “We’ve reached the very final stage, and points for us to think through together have emerged.”
A holdback period is the time between a film’s theatrical release and its availability on other distribution channels, such as online video services (OTT). The theater industry sees a need for a mechanism to prevent audiences from drifting away, while concerns have been raised in the production and distribution industries that delayed online rights sales could make it difficult to recoup investments.
Last May, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the “Public-Private Consultative Body for Improving the Distribution Structure of Korean Films,” with participants including representatives from the production, distribution and exhibition industries and the online distribution sector. The body had initially planned to wrap up discussions on holdback by August, but differences of opinion among participants have delayed a conclusion.
The burden of holdback standards may vary depending on each film’s theatrical performance and distribution strategy. If online release is also delayed, films that did not receive sufficient screening opportunities in theaters may find it even more difficult to recoup their investments.
Minister Choi said, “Since this is not an issue for the government to step in and decide, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is waiting a little longer.” He added that holdback is not the end point of the consultative body’s discussions, saying, “We’re at the stage of quickly tackling together long-unaddressed issues in the film industry, such as the screen cap system.”
The meeting also discussed support plans for next year to help the film industry recover. The government’s proposed 2027 budget for the film sector is 167.3 billion won, a record high and a 30.8% increase from this year. It includes raising support for independent and arthouse film production from 7.7 billion won this year to 10.2 billion won next year, and support for international co-productions from 3 billion won to 7.3 billion won.
Minister Choi said, “I will implement the proposed government budget for the film sector carefully so that it becomes a turning point in restoring vitality to the struggling K-movie ecosystem.”

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