'The Man Who Lives with the King' Breaks 16.28 Million Admissions, Surpasses 'Extreme Job' to Take #2 in All-Time Box Office—Will It Challenge 'Roaring Currents,' #1?

'The Man Who Lives with the King,' Surpassing 'Extreme Job' Records...Takes #2 in All-Time Box Office

'The Man Who Lives with the King' surpasses 16.28 million cumulative viewers, claiming second place on Korea’s all-time box office rankings.

On the 11th, according to distributor Showbox, 'The Man Who Lives with the King' passed the cumulative audience total of 67 days since release, surpassing 'Extreme Job' (16.26 million viewers) that same morning. As a result, only three domestic releases that reached the 16 million-viewer mark—'Roaring Currents,' 'The Man Who Lives with the King,' and 'Extreme Job'—remain.

Released on February 4, the film sparked explosive word-of-mouth beginning with the Lunar New Year holiday period and hit the 10 million mark in just 31 days after opening. Since then, it has kept charging forward, sequentially breaking records set by all-time blockbuster hits such as 'Exhuma,' 'Spring in Seoul,' and 'The Greatest Love'.

Currently, the gap from 'Roaring Currents,' the all-time #1 film (17.61 million viewers), is about 1.3 million. While it remains uncertain whether it can reclaim the top spot as recent daily attendance trends downward, it has already secured a major cumulative milestone, recording 156.9 billion won, the highest-ever figure for a domestic release.

Directed by Jang Hang-jun, 'The Man Who Lives with the King' depicts the final stretch of Joseon’s King Danjong’s life, when he lives among villagers during his exile, with a warm touch. Yoo Hae-jin and Park Ji-hoon, along with other leading performances, delivered compelling acting and sincere emotion that resonates across generations, becoming a driving force behind the film’s box-office momentum.