'The King's Warden' hits 9 mil. viewers, offers lifeline to Korea's struggling film industry

Yoo Hae-jin in a scene from "The King's Warden" / Courtesy of Showbox

The historical drama "The King’s Warden" officially crossed the 9 million viewer mark on Monday, providing a much-needed breakthrough for the Korean film industry, which has been suffering from a shortage of big-budget releases and frozen investment sentiment.

According to the film's distributor Showbox, the film reached a cumulative audience of 9 million on its 27th day of release. This record-breaking pace is faster than previous epic box office hits such as "The King and the Clown" (2005), which took 50 days to reach the same milestone, and "Masquerade" (2012), which took 31 days.

Notably, the film saw its highest daily turnout on Sunday, drawing 817,205 viewers, surpassing its previous peak during the Lunar New Year holiday and proving that the film still has momentum.

The film's broad demographic appeal and close timing with the Lunar New Year holiday proved successful in a moment when new domestic releases are scarce, drawing in viewers across the gender and age spectrum.

The film is now closing in on 10 million admissions, a threshold no Korean film has crossed since "Exhuma" in 2024.

Koo Kyo-hwan, left, and Mun Ga-yeong in a scene from “Once We Were Us” / Courtesy of Showbox

Struggling industry finds its footing

The romantic drama "Once We Were Us," which has garnered 2.6 million viewers since its release on Dec. 31, 2025, also paved the way by proving that well-crafted stories can still attract audiences.

The success of both films serves as a powerful reminder to an industry that has been struggling with a shortage of new releases.

The Korean Film Council's (KOFIC) data showed that the number of commercial Korean films with a budget of over 3 billion won ($2.06 million) has been on a steady decline.

"Once We Were Us" was made with a modest budget of 4.5 billion won, while "The King's Warden" had a budget of 10.5 billion won.

In 2019, when annual admissions hit a record 226.67 million, 45 films with budgets of over 3 billion won ($2.06 million) reached screens. The COVID-19 pandemic and a shift toward streaming platforms eroded that figure to 35 in 2022 and 2023, before a modest recovery to 37 in 2024, only for the number to slide again to 31 films last year.

Major studios have become wary of committing to expensive productions as ticket prices rise and viewers are drawn away by the allure of streaming services. The back-to-back success of "The King's Warden" and "Once We Were Us" prove that audiences will return to theaters for well-made stories with budgets ranging from unassuming to robust, even if they are not massive Hollywood blockbusters like "Avatar."

Visitors head toward Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, Feb. 28, where Joseon's sixth monarch King Danjong was exiled, as the hit film "The King's Warden" continues to draw crowds to the area. Yonhap

"The King's Warden" has seen its cultural influence extend well beyond the box office. Tourism to Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province — the historical exile site of King Danjong (1441–57), the young Joseon ruler at the center of the story — surged fivefold year-on-year.

Due to the sudden increase, local authorities are implementing emergency crowd control measures as young people and families flock to the site.

The film has also sparked new interest in its lead actors. Park Ji-hoon, who portrays the boy king, has earned praise for his restrained, emotionally precise performance and led many viewers to revisit both his earlier projects and the history of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty.

Online communities are flooded with positive reviews, with one viral comment stating, "the film encouraged so many people to look up our history for themselves." Another viewer shared, "It is the first time in years that a movie has stayed with me this long. I am already heading for my second viewing."

Actor Park Ji-hoon portrays King Danjong in a scene from “The King’s Warden.” Courtesy of Showbox