The Secret Behind ‘왕과 사는 남자’: Why This Film Became Korea's 34th 10 Million Movie

[Sports Today reporter Lim Si-ryeong] Im Eun-jung, CEO of Onda Works — the production company behind The Man Who Lives with the King — reflected on the film’s box-office success after it surpassed 10 million admissions.

On the 11th, Sports Today sat down with Im at a café in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The film is directed by Jang Hang-jun.

Set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo, The Man Who Lives with the King follows village head Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin), who volunteers for exile to revive his town, and the young dethroned former king Yi Hong-wi (Park Ji-hoon).

Onda Works, founded by former CJ ENM executive Im Eun-jung, co-produced the film with B.A. Entertainment, led by Jang Won-seok, the producer behind the Outlaws series.

The film became the 34th title in Korean box-office history to exceed 10 million admissions, reaching the milestone two years after The Outlaws 4. Notably, by its 33rd day in release it had already crossed 11 million admissions faster than Pamyo, Seoul’s Spring, and Masquerade (Kwanghae, The Man Who Became King).

“We exceeded our target by a wide margin,” Im said. “The director and the cast keep saying, ‘We’re so grateful.’”

She added that hitting the 10 million mark was beyond their expectations. “The audience numbers surprised us the most. Given current trends, it didn’t feel like a time when you could realistically aim for 10 million,” she said. “The director and I had a quick drink two days before release — that Monday — and talked. Our first goal was simply to reach the breakeven point. With the holiday weekend approaching and such a fast rollout, we cautiously hoped to get to about twice the breakeven point to justify the quick launch.”

Im recalled that weak opening-day numbers made the team anxious. “That night we were all on edge. The director even joked on the radio show ‘Bae Sung-jae’s Ten’ that predicting 10 million felt impossible — and somehow that freed us. When the film blew past that mark, we were stunned and a little dazed, wondering what had happened.”

“I’m still in a bit of a daze,” she continued. “There had been questions across the industry about whether another Korean film could reach 10 million. I’m proud this gives everyone hope that the next 10-million film is possible.”

[Sports Today reporter Lim Si-ryeong ent@stoo.com]
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