'The King and the Man' Nears 15 Million Viewers, Secures Box Office Top Spot

The film 'The King and the Man' directed by Jang Hang-jun has surpassed 14.82 million viewers, edging closer to the 15 million mark.

According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network, 'The King and the Man' maintained its number one position at the box office on the 23rd, drawing 85,715 viewers that day, with a cumulative audience of 14,757,122.

'The King and the Man' has overtaken 'Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds' (2017, 14.41 million viewers) to become the third highest-grossing film in Korean box office history. The all-time leader is 'Roaring Currents' (2014, 17.61 million viewers), followed by 'Extreme Job' (2019, 16.26 million viewers). 'The King and the Man' became the 34th film in history to surpass 10 million viewers on the 6th.

Set in 1457 Cheongryeongpo, 'The King and the Man' tells the story of a village chief who volunteers for exile to revive his village and a young dethroned king in exile. The film stars Yoo Hae-jin, Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Ji-tae, and Jeon Mi-do.

In second place at the box office was 'Project Hail Mary' directed by Phil Lord, which attracted 42,557 viewers in a day, with a total of 603,922 viewers.

'Project Hail Mary' follows Grace (Ryan Gosling), who wakes up alone in the middle of space with no memory, as he embarks on a final mission to save humanity from an apocalyptic threat. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Sandra Wheeler.

Ranking third was the animation 'Hoppers' directed by Daniel Chong. 'Hoppers' drew 3,856 viewers in a day, with a total of 650,283 viewers.

'Hoppers' is a Pixar animal adventure where a girl named Mabel, transformed into a robotic beaver through the 'hopping' technology that transfers human consciousness into animal robots, embarks on an unexpected adventure in the animal world.

Elsewhere, 'Method Acting' directed by Lee Ki-hyuk ranked fourth, and 'Attack on Titan: The Final Attack' directed by Yuichiro Hayashi ranked fifth.

As of 9 a.m. on the 24th, the real-time reservation rate was led by 'Project Hail Mary', followed by 'The King and the Man', and 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle'.

Reported by Kim Ji-won, TenAsia bella@tenasia.co.kr