Man Living With King Hits 16.6M Viewers

Director Jang Hang-jun's historical film "The King and the Man" is firmly holding the second spot on the all-time South Korean box office charts, continuously setting new records in Korean film history with its steady audience draw.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated network for movie ticket sales, "The King and the Man" has recorded a cumulative audience of 16,628,376 and a total revenue of 160,505,609,880 won. Despite a significant amount of time having passed since its release, it continues to attract around 10,000 viewers on weekdays, demonstrating strong ticket power.

Meanwhile, the film "Salmokji" held the top spot on the box office for 15 consecutive days, drawing 43,402 viewers on the 22nd and reaching a cumulative audience of 1,591,908. Following "Salmokji," "​Ran 12.3" ranked second, "​Jjanggu" third, "​Project Hail Mary" fourth, and "​The King and the Man" fifth.

The fervor for "The King and the Man" has even extended to the second-hand market, with a surge in consumption of related merchandise. Notably, searches for original tickets have surged by over 57,000%, and character posters featuring King Danjong's "Eojin" (royal portrait) are also seeing a dramatic increase in demand. The industry views this as "digging consumption," where consumers deeply engage with specific content.

Fueled by the popularity of the film "The King and the Man," a real-life "Danjong Festival" is also expected to follow. The county of Yeongwol in Gangwon Province has installed a photo zone modeled after the gate of King Danjong's place of exile from the movie for the 59th Danjong Festival (Danjong Cultural Festival), which has been met with great enthusiasm from film fans. Director Jang Hang-jun is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Danjong Festival and give a special lecture.