South Korea's top 50 performances by August 2026 ticket sales

Key findings

• The best-selling title of August 2026 was not a stadium concert but the musical Dracula in Seoul. In a month when Maroon 5, EXO, AKMU and BIGBANG all entered at 2nd to 5th, a house of a few thousand seats held first place.
• 35 of the 50 (70%) had still not opened when the month ended. Maroon 5's Korea date, which plays in January 2027, reached 2nd on advance sales alone.
• 34 of the 50 (68%) are new since July. Six of the top ten had not appeared in July's list at all.
• July's number one, Lim Young-woong's IM HERO, THE STADIUM 2, fell 16 places to 17th — the classic shape of a concert that takes most of its money in the month its tickets open.
• The genre split barely moved (popular music 29, 58%; musicals 15, 30%), but the geography did: the capital region fell from 92% in July to 84% (42 of 50), with Daegu, Jeonbuk and Sejong appearing for the first time.

Contents

1. Key findings
2. What this data covers
3. At a glance
4. The full TOP 50 table
5. Seventy per cent had not opened yet
6. The advance-sales calendar
7. A musical took first place
8. What moved since July
9. The genre split
10. Venue concentration
11. Regional concentration
12. What it adds up to
13. Practical booking tips
14. Frequently asked questions

What this data covers

This column reads the 50 highest-selling performances of August 2026 (1–31 August) in South Korea from the booking dashboard published by KOPIS, the national performing-arts information system, and compares them with the July list. The query was all genres, all regions, ranked by total booking value, compiled on 31 August 2026.

The ranking counts the day a ticket was paid for, not the day it is used. A September, October or even January 2027 date can chart if enough of its tickets sold during August — which is exactly what Maroon 5's 27 January 2027 concert did in reaching 2nd place.

Every run, venue and house size below was checked back against the record KOPIS holds. Each title links to its performance page on this site, and each venue to that venue's page.

At a glance

Five numbers that carry the month. Popular music at 58%, 70% of the list not yet open, and 68% of it new since July.

50

productions analysed

58%

popular music

70%

not yet opened

84%

in the capital region

68%

new since July

The full TOP 50 table

The 50 highest booking values recorded during August. House size is the capacity of the venue, not tickets sold. Tap a title for the performance page, or a venue for the venue page.

※ Source: KOPIS booking dashboard, 1–31 August 2026, compiled 31 August 2026.

Seventy per cent had not opened yet

Regroup the 50 by the month each production opens. The largest group is September, with 15, followed by October with 13. Only 15 (30%) had opened by the end of August; the other 35 (70%) had not.

Opening in September15

Opening in October13

Opened during August7

Opened in July5

Opened in June3

Opening in December3

Opening in November2

Opening in January 20272

When the August TOP 50 actually opens

• Opening in September: 15
• Opening in October: 13
• Opened during August: 7
• Opened in July: 5
• Opened in June: 3
• Opening in December: 3
• Opening in November: 2
• Opening in January 2027: 2

There is one thing to read here. Revenue arrives when tickets go on sale, not when the curtain rises. Productions opening in September and October generated the most advance revenue during August, while shows actually playing that month accounted for less than a third of the list. The effect is strongest for concerts and festivals, where an on-sale announcement is itself the event.

The advance-sales calendar

The same point, on a calendar. Each bar is the real run of one of August's top 20 sellers; the axis covers 1 August to 31 January 2027.

8월9월10월11월12월1월

1. Dracula (Seoul)

2. Maroon 5 in Korea

3. EXO PLANET #6, EXhOrizon [dot]

4. AKMU CONCERT: Paradise of Rumors

5. BIGBANG WORLD TOUR (Goyang)

6. Frozen (Seoul)

7. Elisabeth

8. XMF (Xnterstellar Music Festival)

9. &TEAM CONCERT TOUR: BLAZE THE WAY (Seoul, encore)

10. TAEMIN WORLD TOUR: LiMiNaL (Seoul)

11. fromis_9 ASIA TOUR: TOMORROW GLOW. (Seoul)

12. Dear Evan Hansen (Seoul)

13. PARK JI HOON ASIA FANCON, RE: FLECT (Seoul, encore)

14. Hell's Kitchen

15. Lee Seung-chul 40th Anniversary Concert, THE VOICE (Seoul)

16. Young Tak Solo Concert: TAK SHOW5 (Seoul)

17. Lim Young-woong Concert: IM HERO, THE STADIUM 2

18. Dead Poets Society (Daehangno)

19. Dracula (Daegu)

20. Western Story (Daehangno)

• Popular music
• Musical
• Play / classical

When the August TOP 20 is actually staged

• 1. Dracula (Seoul): 2026.07.10 – 2026.10.18 · LG Arts Center Seoul, LG SIGNATURE Hall
• 2. Maroon 5 in Korea: 2027.01.27 – 2027.01.27 · KINTEX Hall 1-5
• 3. EXO PLANET #6, EXhOrizon [dot]: 2026.11.06 – 2026.11.08 · KSPO DOME, Olympic Park
• 4. AKMU CONCERT: Paradise of Rumors: 2026.10.09 – 2026.10.11 · KSPO DOME, Olympic Park
• 5. BIGBANG WORLD TOUR (Goyang): 2026.08.21 – 2026.08.23 · Goyang Stadium, Main Stadium
• 6. Frozen (Seoul): 2026.08.13 – 2027.03.01 · Charlotte Theater
• 7. Elisabeth: 2026.08.16 – 2026.11.15 · Blue Square, Woori Bank Hall
• 8. XMF (Xnterstellar Music Festival): 2026.10.03 – 2026.10.04 · Paradise City Culture Park
• 9. &TEAM CONCERT TOUR: BLAZE THE WAY (Seoul, encore): 2026.10.03 – 2026.10.04 · KSPO DOME, Olympic Park
• 10. TAEMIN WORLD TOUR: LiMiNaL (Seoul): 2026.09.18 – 2026.09.20 · Jamsil Arena
• 11. fromis_9 ASIA TOUR: TOMORROW GLOW. (Seoul): 2026.09.04 – 2026.09.06 · Korea University Hwajung Gymnasium, Main Arena
• 12. Dear Evan Hansen (Seoul): 2026.08.01 – 2026.11.01 · Chungmu Art Center, Grand Theater
• 13. PARK JI HOON ASIA FANCON, RE: FLECT (Seoul, encore): 2026.09.12 – 2026.09.13 · Jamsil Arena
• 14. Hell's Kitchen: 2026.07.24 – 2026.11.08 · GS Arts Center
• 15. Lee Seung-chul 40th Anniversary Concert, THE VOICE (Seoul): 2026.12.04 – 2026.12.06 · KSPO DOME, Olympic Park
• 16. Young Tak Solo Concert: TAK SHOW5 (Seoul): 2026.10.03 – 2026.10.05 · Korea University Hwajung Gymnasium, Main Arena
• 17. Lim Young-woong Concert: IM HERO, THE STADIUM 2: 2026.09.04 – 2026.09.06 · Goyang Stadium, Main Stadium
• 18. Dead Poets Society (Daehangno): 2026.07.18 – 2026.09.13 · NOL Theater Daehangno, Woori Card Hall
• 19. Dracula (Daegu): 2026.10.27 – 2026.11.01 · Keimyung Art Center
• 20. Western Story (Daehangno): 2026.07.01 – 2026.09.27 · Uniplex Hall 1

A bar touching the left edge is a long run that opened before August; the short bars at the right are concerts whose tickets merely went on sale. The furthest right, Maroon 5 in Korea, plays five months later, in January 2027, and still finished 2nd on August's sales.

A musical took first place

August's best seller was Dracula (Seoul) at LG Arts Center Seoul, LG SIGNATURE Hall, a house in the 1,000–4,999 band, running 10 July to 18 October. It rose one place from July's 2nd and finished ahead of every one of the month's four new arena entries — Maroon 5 (2nd), EXO (3rd), AKMU (4th) and BIGBANG (5th).

• Seoul 1st · LG Arts Center Seoul · 10 Jul – 18 Oct 2026 · 1,000–4,999 seats
• Daegu 19th · Keimyung Art Center · 27 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 · 1,000–4,999 seats

The Daegu production charted too, at 19th, putting both cities in the top 20. Unlike a concert that plays an arena for two nights, a large-house musical banks six to eight performances a week for months. That an open-ended musical held first place in a month when four of the biggest concerts of the year entered at once is the clearest evidence that ticket power is not simply a function of house size or hype.

What moved since July

Sixteen productions appear in both months' tables. Reading only those shows what builds revenue and what ends it.

Risers

• Dear Evan Hansen (Seoul) — 22th in July → 12th in August (+10)
• Frozen (Seoul) — 15th in July → 6th in August (+9)
• Hell's Kitchen — 23th in July → 14th in August (+9)
• Dead Poets Society (Daehangno) — 27th in July → 18th in August (+9)
• aespa LIVE TOUR -SYNK: COMPLaeXITY- — 40th in July → 35th in August (+5)

Fallers

• Beethoven (Seoul) — 5th in July → 39th in August (-34)
• YUURI LIVE (Seoul) — 13th in July → 45th in August (-32)
• Busan International Rock Festival — 4th in July → 33th in August (-29)
• Yumi's Cells (Seoul) — 17th in July → 41th in August (-24)
• Those Days (Seoul) — 11th in July → 28th in August (-17)
• Lim Young-woong Concert: IM HERO, THE STADIUM 2 — 1th in July → 17th in August (-16)

The top of the falling list has one thing in common: the run ended during August. Those Days (9 Jun – 23 Aug), Yumi's Cells (30 Jun – 23 Aug) and Beethoven (9 Jun – 11 Aug) all closed within the month, and ticket sales closed with them. Nothing to explain there.

The other two need explaining. Busan International Rock Festival (October) and YUURI LIVE (December) have not happened yet and still fell 29 and 32 places. The heat of the on-sale simply faded within a month. The sharpest case is Lim Young-woong's IM HERO, THE STADIUM 2, the runaway number one in July — the month its tickets opened — and 17th in August.

Among the risers, four of the five (Dear Evan Hansen, Frozen, Hell's Kitchen, Dead Poets Society) were playing during August: they accumulate rather than spike.

68% of the list is new

34 of the 50 (68%) were not in July's TOP 50 at all. The top of the list is no steadier: six of August's top ten — Maroon 5 (2nd), EXO (3rd), AKMU (4th), XMF (8th), &TEAM (9th) and TAEMIN (10th) — were absent from July entirely. A fresh round of major on-sales every month keeps rewriting the upper half of this table.

The genre split

By genre: popular music 29 (58%), musicals 15 (30%), classical 3 (6%), plays 2 (4%), circus & magic 1 (2%). Popular music's share is identical to July's.

50

• Popular music29 · 58%
• Musical15 · 30%
• Classical3 · 6%
• Play2 · 4%
• Circus & magic1 · 2%

Of 100 seats, popular music takes 58, musicals 30, classical 6, plays 4 and circus & magic 2.

• Popular music58seats
• Musical30seats
• Classical6seats
• Play4seats
• Circus & magic2seats

The 29 popular-music entries lean heavily on large touring concerts — Maroon 5, EXO, AKMU, BIGBANG, &TEAM, TAEMIN — while the 15 musicals are mostly long-running licensed productions: Dracula, Frozen, Elisabeth, Dear Evan Hansen. Classical is small at three, but worth noting: visiting orchestras chart reliably, with the Vienna Philharmonic in Busan and Charles Dutoit & Martha Argerich both in the list. And a genre absent in July appears here — Lee Eun-gyeol's 30th-anniversary magic show at 24th.

Venue concentration

The 50 were spread across 38 venues. KSPO DOME hosted the most with four; Goyang Stadium and Korea University Hwajung Gymnasium took three each; five venues hosted two, and the remaining 30 hosted one apiece.

KSPO DOME, Olympic Park4

Goyang Stadium3

Korea University Hwajung Gymnasium3

Jamsil Arena2

D-Cube Link Art Center, D-Cube Theater2

Jangchung Arena2

Sejong Center, Grand Theater2

Inspire Arena2

Venues that hosted more than one of the TOP 50

• KSPO DOME, Olympic Park: 4
• Goyang Stadium: 3
• Korea University Hwajung Gymnasium: 3
• Jamsil Arena: 2
• D-Cube Link Art Center, D-Cube Theater: 2
• Jangchung Arena: 2
• Sejong Center, Grand Theater: 2
• Inspire Arena: 2

KSPO DOME took EXO, AKMU, &TEAM and Lee Seung-chul, holding its place as the default room for a large concert in Seoul. Goyang Stadium managed three — BIGBANG, Lim Young-woong and The Weeknd — confirming it as the stadium venue for the western capital region. By house size, the 1,000–4,999 band accounts for 20 of the 50 (40%), more than the 15 (30%) in rooms of 10,000 or more. Dracula's first place was not a fluke.

Regional concentration

By region: Seoul 33 (66%), Gyeonggi 5 (10%), Busan 5 (10%), Incheon 4 (8%), and one each in Daegu, Jeonbuk and Sejong (2%). The capital region totals 42, or 84%.

33

Seoul (66%)

5

Gyeonggi (10%)

5

Busan (10%)

4

Incheon (8%)

1

Daegu (2%)

1

Jeonbuk (2%)

1

Sejong (2%)

That is eight points lower than July's 92%. Busan rose from three entries to five, and Daegu, Jeonbuk and Sejong — none of which appeared in July — each placed one. Busan's five are also spread across genres in a way July's were not: THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS, CNBLUE's encore, the rock festival, the Vienna Philharmonic and Those Days.

Still, more than eight in ten are capital-region dates. The infrastructure did not change in a month; this month's easing looks like touring reach plus the regional festival season, not a structural shift.

What it adds up to

Three things stand out. First, this ranking measures when tickets sold, not how a show performed — with 70% of the list not yet open, most large-concert revenue lands in the month the tickets do. Second, an open-ended musical wins on duration, not hype: Dracula held first place in the month Maroon 5 and EXO both entered the top five. Third, the turnover is fast. With 68% of the list new and July's number one down to 17th, the upper half of this table is anything but stable.

September brings the actual openings of Maroon 5, EXO, AKMU, &TEAM and TAEMIN — so the thing to watch is late, close-to-the-date selling and how much it moves the ranking. BIGBANG's rise from 6th in July to 5th in August as its 21–23 August dates approached suggests it can.

Practical booking tips

Arena shows

KSPO DOME, Goyang Stadium and Gocheok Sky Dome all seat around 10,000, and the nearest stations and car parks jam the moment a show ends. Routes and busy periods for each are on our venue pages and visiting tips.

If you are buying in the on-sale month

As the opening-month section shows, concert revenue concentrates in the first month of sales — which is also when the good seats go. For an artist you care about, be ready when the on-sale is announced.

If it is a long-running musical

Productions like Dracula, Frozen and Elisabeth run for months, and the popular performances and preferred casts sell out first as the season progresses. If a specific date or cast matters, book early in the run.

Frequently asked questions

What was the best-selling performance of August 2026?

The musical Dracula (Seoul) at LG Arts Center Seoul, LG SIGNATURE Hall. It rose one place from July's 2nd and finished ahead of the month's new arrivals — Maroon 5 in Korea, EXO PLANET #6, AKMU's concert and BIGBANG WORLD TOUR.

Is this a ranking of shows that were staged in August?

No. It ranks the total value of tickets paid for between 1 and 31 August 2026, regardless of performance dates. 35 of the 50 (70%) had not opened by the end of the month, and Maroon 5's January 2027 concert reached 2nd on advance sales alone.

How many of the August TOP 50 are new since July?

34 of the 50, or 68%. Within the top ten, six — Maroon 5, EXO, AKMU, XMF, &TEAM and TAEMIN — were absent from July's TOP 50 entirely.

Why did Lim Young-woong's concert fall so far in August?

IM HERO, THE STADIUM 2 was first in July, the month its tickets opened, and 17th in August — a fall of 16 places. Revenue for a large concert concentrates in the first month of sales and drops sharply afterwards. The concert itself plays 4–6 September as scheduled.

What is the genre breakdown of the August 2026 TOP 50?

Popular music 29 (58%), musicals 15 (30%), classical 3 (6%), plays 2 (4%) and circus & magic 1 (2%).

Which venue appears most often in the TOP 50?

KSPO DOME in Olympic Park, with four productions. Goyang Stadium and Korea University Hwajung Gymnasium follow with three each. The 50 were spread across 38 venues in all, 30 of which hosted a single production.

How did the regional distribution change from July?

The capital region's share fell from 92% in July to 84% in August. Busan went from three entries to five, and Daegu, Jeonbuk and Sejong — absent in July — each placed one.

Where does this data come from?

The booking dashboard of KOPIS, South Korea's national performing-arts information system, run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The query covered 1–31 August 2026 across all genres and regions, ranked by total booking value, compiled on 31 August 2026.

Related pages

July 2026 ticket bookings TOP 50 — the previous month Q1 2026 ticket sales TOP 20 — the previous quarter Browse performances — search and filter every show in Korea Browse venues — capacity, facilities, access Visiting tips — guides to the large venues

Source: KOPIS booking dashboard, 1–31 August 2026, compiled 31 August 2026.

How the ranking works: it counts the total value of tickets paid for within the search period, not performance dates, so a show staged months later can chart on advance sales alone. Rank movements were derived by comparing against the July table retrieved under the same query.

The figures in this column — the opening-month split, the advance-sales calendar, the rank movements, the genre donut and pictogram, the venue ranking and the regional map — were all derived and drawn by the PUBLICAi editorial team from public KOPIS data.