SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) -Thirty-one days after its release, The King’s Warden crossed the ten-million admissions mark, becoming the 34th South Korean film to reach that milestone — and still counting as the crowds kept on growing.
The numbers came quickly. One million in five days. Two million by day twelve. Three million on Lunar New Year. Four million the next day. By March 10, cumulative admissions reached approximately 11.7 million.
But the film's impact has not been restricted to theaters.
Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province—where King Danjong, the sixth monarch of Joseon, was exiled—has seen a steady stream of visitors.
Over one weekend, thousands arrived. On March 8 alone, Cheongnyeongpo and Jangneung received 4,622 visitors by 2:10 p.m. The day before, 7,047 people came. In just two days, more than 10,000 visitors walked through the site.
By March 8 afternoon, the year's cumulative visitor count reached approximately 109,112. Last year, it took until June to surpass 100,000. This year, that number was reached in just two months.
The film's influence also spread to bookstores.
According to YES24, sales of books with the keyword "Danjong" surged 2,565.4% in the month following the film's February 4 release compared to the same period the previous year.
From the classic novel The Tragedy of Danjong to children's history books and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, diverse genres saw rising sales together. Annals of the Joseon Dynasty 3: Sejong, Munjong, Danjong recorded an approximately 800% (9-fold) increase, while Danjong's Sorrow, Sejong's Tears rose about 2,700% (28-fold) during the same period.
A single film led people beyond the theater. To an exile site. To books. Into history.
A story that began on screen is coming alive again in real places and historical records.
The film ends in two hours, but the questions it leaves continue. Who was Danjong? What was his era like? And why do we now seek to remember him?
The King’s Warden became a ten-million-viewer blockbuster.
Yet perhaps its deeper significance lies elsewhere — in how a single film led a nation to look back, and rediscover a chapter of its own history.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.