The film 'The King and the Clown' has climbed to the second spot in all-time box office rankings, but it remains uncertain whether it can surpass the record set by 'Roaring Currents.' As it enters its 11th week in theaters, the film is losing momentum, and the release of strong competitors is causing a decline in audience numbers.
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie tickets on the 22nd, 'The King and the Clown' (directed by Jang Hang-jun) has recorded a cumulative audience of 16,617,488. It has surpassed the record of 'Extreme Job,' which had 16.26 million viewers, and is now eyeing the all-time record of 'Roaring Currents' with 17.61 million viewers. If 'The King and the Clown' surpasses the cumulative audience of 'Roaring Currents,' it will mark the first change in the top spot in 12 years.
Although it is only about 1 million viewers away from the 'all-time number one' title, the situation is not favorable. The audience numbers for 'The King and the Clown' are on a downward trend. According to daily box office statistics, as of the end of last month, the film was attracting an average of 130,000 viewers per day. However, this month, the daily average has decreased to 80,000, and by the second week, it had shrunk to 40,000. This coincided with the release of the film 'Salmoji.' In the past week, the numbers have dwindled to 20,000-30,000, indicating an exit phase. Even if this trend continues, it is estimated that it will take more than 40 days to surpass the 1 million mark.
It is also noteworthy that 'The King and the Clown' has had more than twice the number of screenings compared to 'Roaring Currents.' According to historical box office statistics from the Korean Film Council, 'The King and the Clown' has an overwhelming number of screenings compared to the top five films. While 'Extreme Job,' 'Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds,' and 'Ode to My Father' had around 200,000 screenings, and 'Roaring Currents' had 180,000, 'The King and the Clown' had 480,000. This is the highest number of screenings among all-time box office hits.
This fact suggests that there was a kind of monopoly phenomenon due to the lack of competitive films to challenge 'The King and the Clown.' In fact, at the time of its release, there were no anticipated films except for 'Humint' and 'Number One.' However, the film 'Salmoji,' released on the 8th, is continuing its box office dominance, and anticipated films like 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' and 'The Swarm' are set to be released soon. As the effect of having many screenings diminishes and competitors emerge, the daily average audience is bound to shrink rapidly.
The last hope lies in the May holidays. Since the competitors have themes that are difficult to watch with family, it is crucial whether 'The King and the Clown' can muster its last strength. The strategic choice of the distributor to extend the screening period to reclaim the top spot is also important. A representative from Showbox, the distributor of 'The King and the Clown,' stated, "We are not currently preparing any additional events for the number one spot."
Reporter Juwon Park, TenAsia pjw00@tenasia.co.kr