According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated ticketing network, the film, directed by Jang Hang-jun, drew 2,675,454 moviegoers from Feb. 13 (Fri) to Feb. 18 (Wed). Its cumulative total reached 4,174,928, holding the No. 1 spot for seven straight days.
On Feb. 17, the day after Lunar New Year’s Day, it attracted 661,449 admissions in a single day, the highest daily holiday figure since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
The film crossed 4 million admissions on Feb. 18, its 15th day in theaters. That pace was two days faster than “The King and the Clown,” the first period drama to reach 10 million admissions, and “Zombie Daughter,” the top-grossing film of 2025, both of which hit the milestone on their 17th day.
Set in Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, the story follows a village chief (played by Yoo Hae-jin) who volunteers to live at an exile site to revive his community, and a young deposed king (played by Park Ji-hoon).
Spy action film “Humint,” set in Vladivostok, also gained momentum, surpassing 1 million cumulative admissions on the afternoon of Feb. 17.
Total theater attendance from Feb. 13 (Fri) to Feb. 18 (Wed) reached about 4.52 million. Observers said “The Man Who Lives With the King” drew family audiences with an emotional narrative, while “Humint” delivered genre thrills, together boosting holiday moviegoing.
A theater official said this year’s holiday season marked a full return of momentum for Korean films, led by “The Man Who Lives With the King” and “Humint,” after last year’s holiday box office was dominated by foreign releases. The official added that the traditional period drama’s fast run showed “the strength of Korean cinema and a new signal of hope,” and said the results reminded audiences why they return to theaters and “the essential value” of the big-screen experience.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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