‘The King and the Clown’ Hits 15 Million Admissions… Moves Up to No. 3 on the All-Time Box Office List

The film ‘The King and the Clown’ has kept its unstoppable box-office run, reaching a new milestone of 15 million admissions.

Breaks into the all-time TOP 3… Closing in on ‘Extreme Job’

On the 25th, its distributor, Showbox, officially announced that ‘The King and the Clown’ has surpassed 15 million cumulative admissions—marking the movie’s 50th day since release. After opening on the 4th of last month, it hit 10 million in just 31 days; then it crossed 14 million on the 20th, and only five days later, it surged past 15 million again.

In particular, over the past weekend (20–22), it sequentially overtook ‘Ode to My Father’ (14.41 million) and ‘Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds’ (14.25 million), securing the No. 3 spot on the all-time box-office charts for Korean films. The remaining hurdles are ‘Extreme Job’ (16.26 million) for the all-time No. 2 position and ‘Roaring Currents’ (17.61 million) at No. 1. With the current gap to ‘Extreme Job’ narrowed to about 1.2 million viewers, there’s also a possibility the all-time No. 2 ranking could change as early as this weekend.

‘A Sad Miracle’ powered by standout performances from Yoo Hae-jin and Park Ji-hoon

‘The King and the Clown’ follows Joseon’s King Danjong—the ill-fated ruler—as he spends his final days in exile in Yeongwol, living alongside villagers, including village head Um Heung-do (played by Yoo Hae-jin). The story blends historical fact with heartfelt imagination and has been praised for moving audiences.

The film’s leading cast delivered a powerful performance that fueled its box-office momentum: Yoo Hae-jin, portraying ordinary people with resilience; Park Ji-hoon, capturing Danjong’s loneliness with delicacy; and Yoo Ji-tae, bringing Han Myeong-hoi’s cool charisma to life. Viewers are also talking up the film’s warm reimagining of tragic history, adding to the ongoing buzz surrounding fans’ self-driven “N-th viewing” streaks.

No. 1 in revenue among domestic releases in all-time history

It’s performing at record-breaking levels not only in admissions, but also in earnings. As of the previous day, cumulative box-office revenue stood at 144.1 billion won, placing it No. 1 among domestic releases by revenue history—regardless of audience size.

With an emotionally resonant story that connects with viewers across generations and strong long-term box-office staying power, ‘The King and the Clown’ has many watching closely to see whether it can even surpass ‘Roaring Currents,’ whose record is widely regarded as unbreakable—drawing attention both inside and outside the film industry.