[MyDaily = Reporter Park Seo-yeon] Director Jang Hang-jun discussed the film’s running guarantee — a per-ticket performance bonus — for The Man Who Lives with the King, which has surpassed 14.75 million admissions.
On March 23, the YouTube channel 'VivoTV' uploaded a video titled ※The Secret of Low-Budget Indie Films※ Jang Hang-jun: 'I bundled the two at 2,500' | Lim Hyung-jun's The Castle of Acting EP.08.
Responding to a suggestion that Lim Hyung-jun and Kim Ui-sung should collaborate, Jang noted that after the film reached 10 million admissions they shouldn’t lose their original passion. He said he plans to develop a tightly written, low-budget indie — producing and directing it himself — to return to their creative roots and work with that same mindset.
Kim Ui-sung asked whether, having earned so much from The Man Who Lives with the King, Jang might pursue projects in that vein. Lim chimed in, “You must have made a fortune — just from the running guarantee alone,” and Kim asked how much a 10-million run would net, the two imagining the sizable payday for the director.
The film’s break-even point was 2.6 million admissions, leaving more than 12 million admissions in profit. Even excluding Jang’s base directing fee, estimates put a potential running guarantee between ₩3.5 billion and ₩7 billion (approximately $2,625,000–$5,250,000).
But Jang sighed and revealed a surprise: contrary to common belief, he admitted, I never actually arranged a running guarantee.
The two were stunned. “Really?” they asked. Lim wondered whether that kind of guarantee didn’t normally get set automatically, and Kim expressed disbelief: “Which director wouldn’t put one in place?”
Jang explained the circumstances: we were going to set a running guarantee, but I asked to take an extra ₩5–6 million (approximately $3,750–$4,500) as my director’s fee instead. Lim reacted with a rueful sigh, calling it an unfortunate turn of events.
Meanwhile, The Castle of Acting is a mockumentary-style entertainment program featuring Kim Ui-sung and conceived, directed, written by and starring Lim Hyung-jun. The series blends actors’ real conversations with performative elements, blurring the line between acting and reality.
