‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ nears No.2 all-time

Apr 06, 2026, 09:50 am

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Promotional image of the film The Man Who Lives with the King. /Showbox, CJ ENM

The Korean film The Man Who Lives with the King has surpassed 16 million moviegoers, becoming the third film in Korean box office history to reach the milestone.

According to distributor Showbox on April 5, the film exceeded 16 million cumulative viewers earlier in the day. Only two other films — The Admiral: Roaring Currents (17.61 million) and Extreme Job (16.26 million) — have previously achieved the feat.

With just 260,000 more viewers needed, the film is on track to surpass Extreme Job and become the second-highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea.

Released on Feb. 4, the film reached 10 million viewers in just 31 days and crossed the 15 million mark on its 50th day. It hit 16 million viewers on its 61st day in theaters.

The film depicts the final days of the dethroned King Danjong (played by Park Ji-hoon) during his exile. It has drawn strong audience response for its warm portrayal of the king’s relationships with villagers, including the local chief Eom Heung-do (played by Yoo Hae-jin).

According to CJ CGV, the film has also recorded a high rewatch rate. About 8.2% of viewers watched the film more than once, including 5.2% who saw it twice and 3.0% who viewed it three or more times.

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