"The Man Who Lives With the King," a film that adds cinematic imagination to the exile of King Danjong, has climbed to third place on South Korea's all-time box office chart, sustaining its long-running hit streak. With only 1.51 million admissions separating it from second-place "Extreme Job," attention is turning to its final tally.
According to the Korea Box Office Information System on the 23rd, "The Man Who Lives With the King" drew approximately 803,000 viewers over the June 20-22 weekend, capturing 52.2% of box office revenue and holding the No. 1 spot.
Cumulative admissions reached approximately 14.757 million. Over the weekend, the film surpassed the records of "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" (2017, 14.41 million) and "Ode to My Father" (2014, 14.25 million) to claim third place among all domestically released films.
The top two domestic releases of all time are "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" (2014, 17.61 million) and "Extreme Job" (2019, 16.26 million). "The Man Who Lives With the King" trails "Extreme Job" by 1.51 million admissions and "The Admiral" by approximately 2.86 million.
In cumulative revenue, the film has already claimed the No. 1 spot, partly due to rising ticket prices. Its cumulative revenue stands at 142.5 billion won, surpassing both "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" at 135.7 billion won and "Extreme Job" at 139.6 billion won.
"The Man Who Lives With the King" is director Jang Hang-jun's first film to surpass 10 million admissions. It depicts King Danjong, known as Lee Hong-wi (played by Park Ji-hoon), exiled to Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, spending the final days of his life alongside village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin) and other villagers.
The warm narrative, which fills gaps in historical records with imagination, and the passionate performances of lead actors Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Hae-jin, Yoo Ji-tae, and Jeon Mi-do resonated broadly across all generations.
"Project Hail Mary," based on the novel of the same name and released on the 18th, took second place at the domestic weekend box office. It drew approximately 430,000 viewers (32.5% revenue share), bringing cumulative admissions to approximately 561,000.
The film is an adaptation of a science fiction novel by Andy Weir, author of "The Martian" and "Artemis." Actor Ryan Gosling stars as Dr. Grace, who carries out a space mission.
Pixar Studios' animated film "Hoppers" drew approximately 88,000 viewers, while the re-released "Attack on Titan: The Last Attack" attracted approximately 26,000, placing third and fourth at the weekend box office, respectively.
As of 8 a.m. on the 23rd, "Project Hail Mary" led advance ticket sales at 34.3%, with approximately 86,000 viewers awaiting screenings.
"The Man Who Lives With the King" ranked second with a 25.0% advance booking rate (approximately 62,000 tickets), while "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle," set for re-release on the 25th, placed third at 8.3% (approximately 20,000 tickets).