Do you remember the memories of gathering the whole family to watch movies on TV on weekend nights?

If you were born before the 1980s in Korea, many of you might remember.

Nowadays, Netflix and YouTube are the trends, but just hearing the name of MBC's 'Weekend Movie' brings back memories of "Ah, those days!" for many.

41 Years of Long History

This 'Weekend Movie' started on August 9, 1969, and continued until October 29, 2010, for a remarkable 41 years. It moved to Sundays for a while (it was also called "Sunday Movie" then), but returned to Saturday nights from 1981. Having been responsible for weekend night home theaters for such a long time, it was indeed called a "national cinema" back then.

The Golden Age of Advertising, and...

During its peak, the commercials were so long that you had to watch at least 10 minutes of ads to see one movie. Nowadays, you might get annoyed saying, "Why are there so many ads?" but back then, with not many channels, we would use the ad time to go to the bathroom or grab a beer or snack from the fridge, getting ready to "come back to watch the movie." Ten minutes was enough time to briefly switch to a neighboring channel.

At that time, there was only one public broadcaster and two large private broadcasters, and there were no cable or general programming channels, so the advertising rates were incredibly high. Therefore, not only 'Weekend Movie' but also KBS's 'Saturday Movie' had a lot of ads, which further highlighted the popularity of these programs.

Delayed Broadcast Times, Decreasing Ratings

However, from the mid to late 1990s, as cable TV became widely available and viewers had more choices, the ratings for 'Weekend Movie' began to decline. The broadcast time also started to get pushed back. It initially started at 10:30 PM, then moved to 11:10 PM, 11:30 PM, and even past midnight. As a result, it became difficult to stay up until midnight, naturally leading to a decrease in viewers.

The Path to Cancellation

The final blow came in the late 2000s with the sudden contraction of the advertising market. Along with the drop in ratings, the once prosperous era of airing premium new films with dubbing also faded away. Finally, on October 30, 2010, the program ended quietly after airing the movie 'My Wife is a Gangster 3.' A program that had once flourished in an era exited so quietly.

Memories of That Time

Now, if you want to watch a movie at midnight, you just turn on your smartphone and access an OTT service, right? Yet sometimes, I miss that time when the whole family gathered in the living room, wondering, "What movie will be on today?" The ads were long, but they allowed for quick bathroom breaks and even a chance to doze off and wake up again to follow the movie's plot.

Although the atmosphere of weekend nights has changed since 'Weekend Movie' disappeared, its long history and the popularity it enjoyed will likely remain in the memories of many for a long time. For those who reminisce about the past, it's a precious memory that brings a smile, saying, "Ah, that movie we watched together as a family!"