Director Jang Hang-jun's film "The Man Who Lives with the King," depicting the final days of King Danjong, has crossed the break-even point after surpassing 3 million cumulative viewers.
According to Showbox on the 18th, "The Man Who Lives with the King," which opened on the 4th of this month, recorded approximately 3.091 million cumulative viewers as of its 14th day in theaters. On January 16th, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, approximately 537,000 viewers watched the film, marking the highest single-day attendance during the Lunar New Year holiday since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starring Yoo Hae-jin and Park Ji-hoon, "The Man Who Lives with the King" tells the story of the deposed King Danjong Lee Hong-wi (played by Park Ji-hoon) spending his final days with village residents including village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin) at his place of exile in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province.
The film has received favorable reviews for its narrative blending humor and emotion, along with stellar performances from leads Yoo Hae-jin and Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Ji-tae as Han Myeong-hoe, and Jeon Mi-do as Maehwa, a court lady who protects King Danjong. "The Man Who Lives with the King" is the first film released this year to exceed 3 million viewers.
"Humint," starring Jo In-sung, Park Jung-min, and Shin Se-kyung, opened on the 11th—one week after "The Man Who Lives with the King"—and has surpassed 1 million viewers. "Humint" follows National Intelligence Service agent Chief Jo (Jo In-sung) and North Korean Ministry of State Security team leader Park Geon (Park Jung-min) as they separately investigate a missing North Korean woman case before crossing paths in Vladivostok, Russia.