Director Jang Hang-jun's film "The Man Who Lives With the King" has surpassed 16 million cumulative viewers.
Distributor Showbox announced through social media on Monday that the film exceeded 16 million cumulative viewers as of that morning.
Among all domestically released films in Korean box office history, only three have been seen by more than 16 million people: "Roaring Currents" (2014, 17.61 million), "Extreme Job" (2019, 16.26 million), and "The Man Who Lives With the King."
If 260,000 more viewers see the film, "The Man Who Lives With the King" will surpass "Extreme Job" to become the second-highest-grossing film of all time in Korea.
Weekday audiences have noticeably declined to around 30,000 to 50,000, but the numbers continue to grow steadily. On Saturday, approximately 153,000 viewers watched the film, showing sustained box office momentum. However, since last Thursday, the sci-fi blockbuster "Project Hail Mary" has taken the No. 1 spot at the box office.
"The Man Who Lives With the King," released on February 4, reached the 10-million-viewer milestone on its 31st day, March 6, and surpassed 15 million viewers on its 50th day, March 25.
The film depicts the story of the deposed King Danjong, Lee Hong-wi (played by Park Ji-hoon), spending the final period of his life in exile in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province.
Rather than focusing on power struggles, the film warmly portrays Lee Hong-wi's human connections with the villagers of his place of exile, including Gwangcheon-gol village chief Eom Heung-do (played by Yoo Hae-jin), earning enthusiastic responses from audiences across all generations.