"Spirited Away" (TOHO Theatrical Dept) Theater ticket sales in Korea surpassed 70 billion won in the first half of the year for the first time, driven by the success of big-budget productions based on global intellectual property.According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System, theater ticket sales reached 75.89 billion won from January to June, up 105 percent from 37.01 billion won during the same period last year. It marks the highest first-half total since KOPIS began tracking data in 2014.The first-half figure nearly matched last year's full-year theater ticket sales of 78.13 billion won.Theater ticket sales rose 26.6 percent to 1.76 million from 1.39 million a year earlier. The number of productions also increased 14 percent, from 1,331 to 1,518. A scene from the Korean production of "Life of Pi" (S&Co) Industry observers attributed the sharp increase in revenue to the strong performance of large-scale productions based on globally recognized IPs, which typically command higher ticket prices.KOPIS data showed that the year's top-grossing theater production was the original Japanese touring production of "Spirited Away." The second-highest-grossing production was the stage adaptation of "Life of Pi."The two productions were staged at the Seoul Arts Center and the GS Arts Center, respectively, with ticket prices ranging from 90,000 won to 190,000 won for "Spirited Away" and from 60,000 won to 160,000 won for "Life of Pi," higher than the average prices for theater productions.KOPIS noted, however, that ticket sales remained heavily concentrated among the top 10 productions, suggesting that the growth generated by large-scale productions had yet to spread to the small-theater sector.Meanwhile, musical ticket sales fell 6.1 percent on-year to 223.22 billion won in the first half. The decline followed the closure of several major musicals that had opened in the fourth quarter of last year, leaving a gap in the market after they ended their runs in February and March.Classical music ticket sales rose 11.8 percent to 40.38 billion won, driven by performances featuring star pianists such as Lim Yun-chan and Cho Seong-jin with major orchestras.Ticket sales for traditional Korean music declined 7.5 percent to 2.04 billion won, while dance ticket sales fell 17.9 percent to 7.67 billion won.