As soon as the screen goes dark, the sound of singing bowls spreads through the room. Instead of the smell of popcorn, calm breathing fills the auditorium. An experiment to transform a movie theater into a meditation space has begun in Busan.
Busan City · CGV Launch “Our Neighborhood Culture Cinema”
Busan City, in partnership with CGV, will operate the cultural program “Our Neighborhood Culture Cinema,” using movie theaters. It will run starting April 22 at three locations: Haeundae-gu CGV Centum City, Busanjin-gu CGV Seomyeon, and Saha-gu CGV Hadan Art Malling.
The program is made up of seven genres, including singing bowl meditation, magic shows, jazz, and tango. Across three days—22nd, 24th, and 30th—a total of nine sessions begin at 7:30 PM. Reservations can be made for 11,000 won via the CGV mobile app.
Why Meditation in a Movie Theater?
At first, it may feel strange. But when you think about it, a movie theater is already “halfway” a meditation space. Thick soundproofing walls, dim lighting, comfortable recliner seats, and darkness that disconnects you from everyday life—all these conditions align precisely with the environment meditation leaders envision.
Because of its unique characteristics, the quality of sound determines the depth of the experience for singing bowl meditation. The singing-bowl sound you hear through a Bluetooth speaker at home is one thing, but the singing-bowl tones that fill the entire space as they resonate through the theater’s multi-channel audio system are on a completely different level. The sensation of sound seeping into your body—that’s the core of meditation in a movie theater.
Finding a New Exit for a Stagnant Theater Scene
Behind this initiative is the crisis facing the domestic movie theater industry. According to a report from the Korean Film Promotion Committee, last year’s domestic theater box office revenue fell by 42.7% compared with the average of the three years prior to COVID-19, and the number of viewers dropped by 52%. The gap is being filled by the growth of OTT and changing viewing culture.
Planned as part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s program, this initiative started from the idea: “Let’s transform theaters—from screening venues into performance culture platforms.” Jo Yu-jang, head of Busan City’s Culture Bureau, presented the goal of creating an “everyday culture win-win model” where local theaters, artists, and citizens all leave satisfied.
The Era of “Meditation Near Home” Is Coming
The biggest barrier to meditation is space. Mountain temple sites or specialized meditation centers are still familiar only to some people. On the other hand, a neighborhood CGV is open to everyone. If you can set down your day with the sound of singing bowls within reach—just one subway stop or a few bus stops away—then meditation finally becomes part of everyday life.
After a month of pilot operations, Busan City plans to review the results and expand the program. If this experiment succeeds, meditation in movie theaters could become a new urban healing model that spreads beyond Busan to the entire country.
After all, our lives themselves are like movies unfolding on a screen.
In the darkness in front of the screen, finding your own breath can become the starting point for discovering the “self” at its core.
And a movie theater is becoming that starting point.