South Korea’s police carried out a sudden search and seizure operation at movie theater chains and three film distribution companies following suspicions of manipulating the box office rankings.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption and Public Crimes Investigation Division announced on the morning of June 13th that they are conducting the operations at a cinema from each of the three cinema chains: CGV, Megabox, and Lotte Cinema, as well as the headquarters of three movie distribution companies, including Showbox.
They are suspected of falsely inflating audience numbers and interfering with the operations of the Korean Film Council to alter box office rankings.
The film Emergency Declaration, released last year, is also among the films suspected of manipulation. At the time, the film was involved in controversy over rigged reservation rates as some late-night screenings in certain Megabox theaters were reported to be fully booked.
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