Disney's 'Frozen 2' lands in legal trouble in South Korea over anti-monopoly rules

Disney's latest animated release Frozen 2 is currently creating wonders at the box office. The film currently stands at $739 million globally and is expected to go past the billion mark soon. Though the film has not had any controversies pre-release and enjoyed a clean slate for opening in theatres, Frozen 2 has landed in some legal trouble in South Korea. Disney has been hit with an anti-trust complaint by an NGO in Seoul, South Korea. 

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Anti-trust complaint against Disney

The Public Welfare Committee, an NGO based in South Korea has lodged a complaint with local authorities claiming that Disney broke the country's anti-trust act by screening Frozen 2 on 88% of the domestic film theatres. Disney's Frozen 2 has enjoyed a successful run at the box office in South Korea where it has reportedly brought in $61 million till now. South Korea has proven to be the third-largest market for Frozen 2, behind only the USA and China. The NGO claimed that Disney has violated the anti-monopoly law of the country by screening the film in the majority of screens. South Korea Culture Minister Park Yang-woo has reportedly tried to implement the screen-quota system which does not allow any major film to take up more than 50% of the domestic screens. This system has faced a lot of backlash by multiplex owners in South Korea and sparked a debate regarding whether it should be implemented. 

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The complaint filed by the Public Welfare Committee reads that Disney has attempted to monopolize the screens and seek profit in the short term. The complaint furthermore suggests that Disney tried to restrict the consumer's right to choose by acquiring the majority of screens for Frozen 2. As per reports, a group of independent filmmakers named Cineastes Council for Anti-Monopoly have come forward and asked the authorities to address the situation as quickly as possible. 

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