The film 'The King and the Man' directed by Jang Hang-jun has emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year, drawing the largest audience for a Korean movie released after the pandemic.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated ticketing system, 'The King and the Man' surpassed 13.46 million viewers as of the 40th day since its release on the 15th, setting a new box office record. The film tells the story of a village chief who voluntarily exiles himself to Cheongryeongpo in 1457 to revive the village, and a young dethroned king who is also in exile.
As 'The King and the Man' continues to create a nationwide phenomenon known as the 'Wangsanam' syndrome, it has garnered support from audiences across all generations. On the 40th day of its release, it recorded a cumulative audience of 13,467,838, surpassing the previous record held by 'Spring in Seoul' (13,128,080 viewers), the most-watched Korean film since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. With this achievement, 'The King and the Man' has become the highest-grossing Korean film released post-pandemic, ranking 5th in the all-time Korean box office and 7th overall, including foreign films.
'The King and the Man' is currently showing in theaters.
Reported by Kim Ji-won, TenAsia bella@tenasia.co.kr