Actor Park Ji-hoon is set to meet global audiences as the film “The Man Who Lives With the King” continues its box-office run in South Korea.
Directed by Jang Hang-jun, the movie is set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo and follows village chief Eom Heung-do, who volunteers to live in exile to revive his town, and the young deposed king Lee Hong-wi as they end up living together. The film surpassed 9 million admissions on March 2, putting it within reach of 10 million.
Amid strong word of mouth, the film is also scheduled for release overseas, including in 26 U.S. cities such as New Jersey, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Seattle and Las Vegas, as well as in Canada, Australia, Taiwan and New Zealand.
The film opened in Australia on Feb. 19 and drew strong interest, the distributor said.
With its cumulative admissions now above 9 million, attention is focused on whether it can become the first domestic film to reach 10 million admissions in two years, since “Exhuma” in 2024. Park stars as Danjong, and the cast’s performances have been cited as a key driver of the film’s popularity.
Adding to the momentum, “The Man Who Lives With the King” has been officially invited to the main competition section of the 28th Udine Far East Film Festival, which opens April 24. The festival is Europe’s largest event dedicated to Asian cinema.
Park has also been gaining visibility beyond the film’s success. The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute ranked him No. 1 in its February 2026 rising star brand reputation list.
Park is also set to broaden his activities through the first-half release of the TVING original series “Becoming a Legend as a Cook Soldier,” and an entertainment program featuring the full reunion of Wanna One for the first time in about seven years.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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