Korean Drama 'The King's Affection' Nears 15 Million Views

The film 'The Man Who Lived Like a King' is on the verge of surpassing 15 million viewers, holding strong at third place in box office history. According to the Korean Film Council's Integrated Network for Cinema Ticket Admissions on the 25th, 'The Man Who Lived Like a King' attracted 78,569 viewers on the 24th, ranking first at the box office. The cumulative audience count stands at 14,921,380, and it is expected to exceed 15 million soon.

'The Man Who Lived Like a King' is a historical drama set in Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, depicting the story of a village chief who volunteers for exile for the prosperity of his village and a young former king, dethroned and exiled. This film, which surpassed 14 million viewers in 45 days after its release, has continued to draw audiences, successively surpassing 'Ode to My Father' (14.25 million viewers), the fourth highest-grossing film, and 'Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds' (14.41 million viewers), the third highest-grossing film, to currently rank third in box office history.

Currently, only two films have drawn more viewers than 'The Man Who Lived Like a King': 'Extreme Job' (16.26 million viewers) in second place and 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents' (17.61 million viewers) in first place. To surpass 'Extreme Job' after exceeding 15 million viewers, approximately 1.26 million more viewers are needed, and to surpass 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents', approximately 2.61 million more viewers are required.

The time taken for 'Extreme Job' and 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents' to surpass 15 million viewers was 15 days and 21 days, respectively, which was 2-3 times faster than 'The Man Who Lived Like a King'. From its early release, 'The Man Who Lived Like a King' has not been a large-scale film that garnered immediate attention, but rather a work that has sustained its box office success through word-of-mouth, demonstrating strong staying power despite a slower pace.

The most formidable competitor to 'The Man Who Lived Like a King' currently is the sci-fi film 'Project Hail Mary,' released on the 18th. This film has received critical and public acclaim, ranking first in real-time reservation rates (32.5%). However, its box office performance on the 24th was 40,111 viewers, falling short of 'The Man Who Lived Like a King's' 78,569 viewers. Even during its opening weekend, 'Project Hail Mary' could not overcome the box office momentum of 'The Man Who Lived Like a King'.