"The King's Warden" Surpasses 7 Million Viewers, Poised to Top 8 Million Over Holiday

Director Jang Hang-jun’s film "The King’s Warden" has drawn more than 7 million moviegoers just 24 days after its release.
According to the Korean Film Council’s box office information system (KOBIS) on the 28th, "The King’s Warden" attracted about 277,000 viewers the previous day, pushing its cumulative total past 7.01 million.
Last year’s overall No. 1 film at the Korean box office, The Walt Disney Company’s animated feature "Zootopia 2," took 30 days to reach 7 million admissions. The new film is also far ahead of the 33 days it took the 2005 historical drama "The King and the Clown"—which sparked a major period-epic boom 21 years ago—to surpass the same milestone.
"The King’s Warden" follows the deposed King Danjong of Joseon, Yi Hong-wi (played by Park Ji-hoon), as he spends the final chapter of his life in exile at Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. There, he bonds with village head Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin) and the local residents. The film is the latest work from director Jang Hang-jun, known for "Forgotten" and "Rebound."
With roughly 200,000 to 300,000 people still visiting theaters on weekdays, the film is widely expected to hit the 8 million mark early, possibly during the upcoming holiday period that runs through the substitute holiday for March 1st Independence Movement Day (March 2).
In second place was "Humint," which drew 22,005 viewers and has now accumulated 1,719,558 admissions. Japan’s "5 Centimeters per Second" ranked third with 9,061 viewers, bringing its cumulative total to 37,317.
padet80@fnnews.com Reporter Park Shin-young Reporter