'The Man Who Lives with the King' Surpasses 16.4 Million Viewers, Becomes 2nd Highest-Grossing Film of All Time — Challenging 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents' Record of 17.61 Million

The Korean film ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ (directed by Lee Hwan-kyung) surpassed 16.4 million cumulative viewers as of April 11, its 67th day of release, climbing to second place in the all-time Korean box office rankings. With this, it has officially surpassed ‘Extreme Job’, which recorded 16.26 million viewers in 2019. Now, only one goal remains: the record held by ‘The Admiral: Roaring Currents’ (17,613,682 viewers), which has held the top spot for 12 years since 2014.,The box office pace of ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ is unprecedented. It drew 4 million viewers in its first week, surpassed 8 million in the second week, and crossed the 10 million mark in the third week, becoming the fastest film to reach the 10 million milestone. Given the stagnation of the Korean film market following the pandemic, this success is being evaluated as a symbol of the complete recovery of the Korean film industry.,Set in the Joseon Dynasty, the film tells the story of a man who lives as the shadow of the King. The grand scale typical of historical dramas combined with the passionate performances of the actors have attracted audiences through word-of-mouth. In particular, the lead actor’s dual role performance has been highly praised as “a legendary performance that will remain in the history of Korean cinema,” leading to predictions that he is a strong candidate for the Grand Prize.,Currently, the gap between ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ and ‘The Admiral: Roaring Currents’ is approximately 1.21 million viewers. The film industry believes that the pace of audience influx will be the key factor, as major films are scheduled for release from mid-April onwards. With daily attendance currently maintaining a level of 50,000 to 80,000, the prevailing analysis is that surpassing 17 million by the end of April is achievable. However, it is expected that the film will need to maintain its momentum until early May to reach the 17.61 million record of ‘The Admiral: Roaring Currents’.,Meanwhile, the success of ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ is also drawing attention in overseas markets. It has already received positive responses following its release in North America, Japan, and Southeast Asia, and with a global release via Netflix scheduled, it is expected to elevate the status of K-movies to the next level. Interest is also mounting regarding potential invitations to this year’s Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.,2026 is becoming a special year for Korean cinema. Along with the record-breaking success of ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’, a series of highly anticipated global projects, such as director Bong Joon-ho’s new film ‘Mickey 17’ and director Park Chan-wook’s next project, are waiting in the wings, leading to assessments that a golden age of K-movies is opening once again.