“The Man Who Lives With the King” Merch Boom… Park Ji-hoon Photocard Listed for 450,000 won, and the Used-Market “King and Man” Boom Spreads

A phenomenon around “The Man Who Lives With the King” that dominates used platforms beyond movie theaters

The box-office surge of the film “The Man Who Lives With the King” is striking not only movie theaters but also used-trading platforms, forming an unusual cultural-consumption craze. According to data analysis from the commerce platform “Bunjang” released on the 10th, search volume for original keywords related to “The Man Who Lives With the King” has skyrocketed by a staggering 2,800 times compared to the previous week. This is a clear indicator of a powerful fandom phenomenon that goes beyond simply watching the movie and leads to collecting merchandise.

A record 57,000% surge for original tickets—severe shortage

The items currently being traded most actively in the used market are the “Original Tickets” distributed as multiplex special gifts and character portrait poster cards. In particular, keyword searches related to the “Original Tickets” provided by major theaters such as Megabox showed a record jump of 57,000% compared to the previous week, leading to intense scarcity.

Public interest in lead actor “Park Ji-hoon” has also exploded. “Park Ji-hoon” topped the ranking for changes in total search terms on “Bunjang”. A limited-edition photocard set featuring the character “Lee Hong-wi” (“Danjong”) was listed for as much as 450,000 won, demonstrating overwhelming demand and its economic value within the market.

Historical reexamination spreads to publishing—and content creates a positive feedback loop

The ripple effect of this merchandise craze is also expanding into the publishing world. History books about “Danjong”, whose motif inspired the film—“Tears of a Young King”—along with the film’s screenplay collection are recording an unusual backtrack in the book category on “Bunjang”. This suggests that the movie’s public attention is flowing into deeper exploration of historical figures, creating a positive cycle of second-round content consumption.