《Jiwon Kim’s Kakaotalk》
Plainspoken and sharply observed. TenAsia reporter Jiwon Kim takes a critical look at the entertainment world.
Director Jang Hang-jun’s King and the Man cleared 14.75 million admissions 47 days after its release, vaulting to No. 3 on the all-time box office chart. The film’s run highlights how metrics and audience behavior have shifted: it secured more screens than The Admiral: Roaring Currents (which drew 17.61 million), even though it recorded fewer total viewers. Where ten‑million‑admission movies once felt like spontaneous cultural moments, they increasingly look engineered.
Analysis of the national box office database (the integrated movie ticketing network) shows a clear trend: newer hits run on dramatically more screens and accumulate far more showings. Among the top 20 all‑time films, titles released between 2009 and 2014 averaged roughly 900–1,300 screens and about 160,000–200,000 showings. By contrast, films released from 2022 through 2026 — including Spring in Seoul and The Exhumation — averaged about 2,300–2,500 screens and some 350,000–370,000 showings. In short, average screens and showings have roughly doubled.
Look at No. 1 The Admiral versus No. 3 King and the Man and the difference is stark. The Admiral (2014) drew 17.61 million viewers from 1,587 screens and approximately 180,000 showings. King and the Man (2026) ran on 2,262 screens with about 350,000 showings and reached 14.75 million admissions (as of March 22). That pattern suggests fewer viewers per screen but a concerted push of screening volume — a strategic saturation that drives totals. It raises the question: are ten‑million films being born organically, or are we manufacturing them?
The strategy also signals that theaters are willing to allocate more screens and longer runs to proven revenue generators. That can accelerate the rise of ten‑million hits, but it sidelines small‑ and mid‑budget films. Instead of a diverse slate of movies growing together, attention and resources concentrate on a single title. The winner‑take‑all dynamic deepens polarization across the film ecosystem.
King and the Man’s box office curve also bucks convention in another way. Most releases live or die on their opening week, but this film posted its weakest numbers in week one. Jang said he was shocked: “Opening‑day numbers were only about half of what I expected. I honestly thought we’d miss the break‑even point (2.6 million) and was pretty crushed. It looked bleak at first.” Instead, the film gained momentum: week one drew 1.16 million viewers, week two 2.32 million, week three 2.69 million, and week four 3.18 million — an unusual upward trajectory.
That pattern underscores how post‑release word of mouth now matters as much as pre‑release marketing — ads, TV spots, and advance screenings. Short‑form platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, social‑media challenges, and user‑generated reviews have turned moviegoing itself into a trend. The fear of missing out — FOMO — pushes audiences into theaters: “If I don’t see this movie now, I won’t be part of the conversation.”
The film’s success parallels the brief mania for the so‑called “Doojjonku” — the Dubai chewy cookie. Both phenomena satisfy a consumer urge to claim a trend on social media, to feel connected to the moment, and to participate in an experience perceived as valuable. People who paid more than 8,000 KRW (about $6) for a single cookie resemble the moviegoers who willingly paid ticket prices in the roughly 15,000 KRW range (about $11.25). In short, consumption has tilted toward “value‑seeking” experiences.
But the concentration of screens around a single hit has eroded diversity and fatigued consumers quickly. The cookie that everyone scrambled for a month ago is now dead stock. That same concentration was visible as King and the Man soared to ten million admissions. If the industry doesn’t restore variety, this box office boom could be a flash in the pan — another trend that fades as fast as it rose. That’s why King and the Man’s milestone could be a mixed blessing rather than a sign of robust recovery for the film industry.
Film critic Hyun‑kyung Lee said, “Putting aside questions of quality, King and the Man’s rise to ten million admissions was rare and exceptional. It’s heartening that a ten‑million film emerged amid tough conditions, but I don’t expect this pattern to become common.”
Jiwon Kim, TenAsia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
