Musical 'Mamma Mia' becomes fastest musical to surpass 2-million ticket sales in S. Korea
- 5 years ago
Time now for our "Life & Info" segment... where we focus on information useful for your everyday life, whether you are in Korea or somewhere else around the world.
Today, we turn our focus to Culture
And to explain what's going on in South Korea right now, we have our Won Jung-hwan in the studio for us.
So Jung-hwan, what do you have for us today?
Hi Mark, I'm here in the studio today to tell you about a well-known musical which is currently on right here in Seoul,… the musical Mamma Mia.
As many people know,… it's a heart-touching story of a mother and daughter,… featuring 22 hit-songs from the world famous pop group ABBA,… including 'Dancing Queen' and 'Honey Honey'.
The story centers around a 20-year-old girl named Sophie, who lives with her mother Donna on a Greek island.
Sophie has never known the identity of her father, but after discovering her mother's old diary, she finds out that she has three possible dads and decides to invite them all to her wedding.
Yes, I do know about the story. I have seen the musical, and the movie too. But why are you introducing the well-known musical today? What's so special about it?
Yes, besides introducing the musical to our viewers,... today, I wanted to explain the recent trends in Korea's musical industry.
Last week, Mamma Mia reached 2-million ticket sales,… making it the fastest musical to reach that milestone in South Korea.
The musical first premiered in 2004,... so considering for more than 15 years,... 2-million ticket sales sounds a bit small,… BUT according to industry insiders,… every one person watching a musical is equivalent to 10 people watching a movie. So it's actually quite a lot.
Only a few musicals have surpassed 2-million ticket sales in Korea. The musical 'Cats',… which was the number one before, took some 23-years to reach that level,… so you get the idea how well Mamma Mia is doing in the Korean market.
And if we look into the ticket sales closely,… the recent trend indicates that ticket sales have uniquely been strong among people in their 40s and 50s,... suggesting that those groups are opening their wallets for more cultural activites these days.
According to country's largest online ticket sales website,… audiences in their 40s have been constantly showing a growing number in the past few years with the number reaching almost 30-percent. This number is almost similar to people in their 20s and 30s, who are known as the top consumers in the musical market.
"Compared to the recent musicals which some people our age don't understand,... we are simply used to ABBA's music which was played back in the 70's and 80's. That is why we feel very attached to this musical."
"Besides ABBA's music,... I was simply curious as the musical has been going on for so long in Korea. I was so excited that I even skipped my dinner."
Many people have tried to figure out the secret of Mamma Mia's success in Korea. But the answer is simple love and joy.
And that universal appeal, combined with the inte
Today, we turn our focus to Culture
And to explain what's going on in South Korea right now, we have our Won Jung-hwan in the studio for us.
So Jung-hwan, what do you have for us today?
Hi Mark, I'm here in the studio today to tell you about a well-known musical which is currently on right here in Seoul,… the musical Mamma Mia.
As many people know,… it's a heart-touching story of a mother and daughter,… featuring 22 hit-songs from the world famous pop group ABBA,… including 'Dancing Queen' and 'Honey Honey'.
The story centers around a 20-year-old girl named Sophie, who lives with her mother Donna on a Greek island.
Sophie has never known the identity of her father, but after discovering her mother's old diary, she finds out that she has three possible dads and decides to invite them all to her wedding.
Yes, I do know about the story. I have seen the musical, and the movie too. But why are you introducing the well-known musical today? What's so special about it?
Yes, besides introducing the musical to our viewers,... today, I wanted to explain the recent trends in Korea's musical industry.
Last week, Mamma Mia reached 2-million ticket sales,… making it the fastest musical to reach that milestone in South Korea.
The musical first premiered in 2004,... so considering for more than 15 years,... 2-million ticket sales sounds a bit small,… BUT according to industry insiders,… every one person watching a musical is equivalent to 10 people watching a movie. So it's actually quite a lot.
Only a few musicals have surpassed 2-million ticket sales in Korea. The musical 'Cats',… which was the number one before, took some 23-years to reach that level,… so you get the idea how well Mamma Mia is doing in the Korean market.
And if we look into the ticket sales closely,… the recent trend indicates that ticket sales have uniquely been strong among people in their 40s and 50s,... suggesting that those groups are opening their wallets for more cultural activites these days.
According to country's largest online ticket sales website,… audiences in their 40s have been constantly showing a growing number in the past few years with the number reaching almost 30-percent. This number is almost similar to people in their 20s and 30s, who are known as the top consumers in the musical market.
"Compared to the recent musicals which some people our age don't understand,... we are simply used to ABBA's music which was played back in the 70's and 80's. That is why we feel very attached to this musical."
"Besides ABBA's music,... I was simply curious as the musical has been going on for so long in Korea. I was so excited that I even skipped my dinner."
Many people have tried to figure out the secret of Mamma Mia's success in Korea. But the answer is simple love and joy.
And that universal appeal, combined with the inte