'The King's Warden' rules holiday box office

우재연 / 2026-02-19 07:54:14

holiday-box office

▲ A still from "The King's Warden" is seen in this image provided by Showbox Co. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

holiday-box office

'The King's Warden' rules holiday box office

SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- The historical drama "The King's Warden" dominated the Lunar New Year box office, drawing more than 2.6 million viewers, data showed Thursday.

The film attracted a total of 2.67 million admissions during the extended holiday from Friday to Wednesday, accounting for 62.5 percent of total box-office revenue, according to the Korean Film Council.

Its cumulative audience has reached 4.17 million since its Feb. 4 release, making it this year's biggest box-office hit to date and easily surpassing the romance film "Once We Were Us," the previous record holder with 2.56 million viewers.

Directed by Jang Hang-jun, "The King's Warden" reimagines historical events through a fictional lens, following the unlikely friendship between village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hai-jin) and the young, deposed King Danjong (Park Ji-hoon) during the latter's exile in the village.

The runner-up, Ryoo Seung-wan's action thriller "Humint," drew 980,000 moviegoers during the five-day period, bringing its total to 1.28 million. The film was released Feb. 11.

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