Will ‘왕과 사는 남자’ Surpass ‘극한직업’? Box Office Showdown in Korean Cinema!

[TV Daily reporter Choi Hana] Director Jang Hang-jun’s A Man Living with the King continues to steamroll the box office, mounting a serious challenge to claim the No. 2 spot on Korea’s all-time chart.

Released Feb. 4, the film is set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo and follows a village head who volunteers for exile to revive his town and a young, deposed king sent away from the throne. A cross-generational ensemble — Yu Hae-jin, Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Ji-tae and Jeon Mi-do — combined with Jang’s empathetic direction to generate explosive word-of-mouth from day one.

The movie’s extraordinary run has injected fresh energy into a sluggish domestic market. It opened at No. 1 and became the year’s first film to hit 10 million admissions, then went on to pass 12 million and 14 million viewers, underscoring sustained box-office muscle.

A notable metric is cumulative gross. After clearing 15 million admissions, the film’s total surpassed KRW 148.8 billion (approximately $111.6 million), overtaking the previous revenue benchmark set by Extreme Job. Its tally has since climbed to KRW 151.7 billion (approximately $113.8 million), a milestone few industry observers expected and one that stands out in Korean cinema history.

Attention has now turned to admissions: A Man Living with the King trails Extreme Job — which sits at roughly 16.26 million admissions — by about 480,000 viewers. Even in its ninth week, the film is consistently drawing more than 50,000 weekday patrons, a pace many analysts say puts it squarely within striking distance.

Experts point to the film’s resonant storytelling and a strong wave of repeat viewings as the engine of its longevity. Audiences have praised the film’s warm, humane approach to historical tragedy, helping it attract not only viewers in their 20s and 30s but also middle-aged and older moviegoers.

It’s also notable that the film has remained near the top of advance-ticket charts despite a surge of new releases. Big-budget foreign titles such as Project Hail Mary have ramped up screen competition, yet A Man Living with the King has maintained impressive seat-occupancy rates and a robust defensive hold.

If current weekday and weekend attendance trends hold, industry insiders say the No. 2 spot on the all-time box-office list could change hands by midmonth. All eyes are on whether A Man Living with the King will register another landmark in Korean film history.

[TV Daily reporter Choi Hana news@tvdaily.co.kr / Photo: the film ‘A Man Living with the King’]