"The Man Who Lives with the King" Surpasses 9 Million Viewers in 27 Days Since Release

Word-of-Mouth During Lunar New Year and March 1st Holidays Boosts Box Office

Surpasses the Speed of Previous Ten-Million-Viewer Historical Films

Poised to Become the First Ten-Million-Audience Hit in Two Years Since "The Roundup: Punishment"

Director Jang Hangjun's film "The Man Who Lives with the King" has surpassed 9 million cumulative viewers just 27 days after its release.

According to distributor Showbox on March 2, as of around 2 p.m. on this day, the film recorded a cumulative audience of 9,001,818. Word-of-mouth during the holiday period, which included Lunar New Year and the March 1st Independence Movement Day, has given a strong boost to its box office performance. In particular, on March 1st, the film drew 817,205 viewers, setting a new record for the highest number of daily viewers since its release.

The pace of its success is faster than previous historical films that surpassed 10 million viewers. "The King and the Clown," the first historical film to reach the milestone in 2005, took 50 days, while the 2012 hit "Masquerade" surpassed the 9 million mark in 31 days.

"The Man Who Lives with the King" tells the story of the deposed Danjong Lee Hongwi (played by Park Jihoon), who spends his final days in exile in Cheongnyeongpo, Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, with local chief Eom Heungdo (played by Yoo Haejin) and other townspeople. The film offers a weighty portrayal of his interactions with ordinary people amidst the tense atmosphere created by Han Myeonghoe (played by Yoo Jitae), a key figure in power.

Considering the current steep upward trend in audience numbers, it seems certain that the film will soon reach the 10 million viewer milestone. If it does, the Korean film industry will welcome its first new 10-million-audience hit in two years, following "Exhuma" and "The Roundup: Punishment" in 2024.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.