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| The Man Who Lives with the King / Photo = Courtesy of Showbox |
On the 11th, distributor Showbox announced that The Man Who Lives with the King exceeded 12 million cumulative admissions. The film hit 10 million viewers on day 31 of release, then added another 2 million in just three days, continuing to set records.
Set in Cheongryeongpo in 1457, The Man Who Lives with the King follows a village head who volunteers for exile to revive his town and a young former king stripped of the throne. The cast — including Yoo Hae-jin, Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Ji-tae, Jeon Mi-do and Kim Min — has been widely praised for strong performances.
The film reimagines little-known aspects of Danjong’s story, blending fact and imagination to depict a friendship that transcends rank between a king and his loyal subject. While some viewers criticized the tiger CGI as low quality, many praised the film for turning tragic history into a humane, emotionally resonant story — praise that has driven its commercial success. After clearing 12 million, industry observers say 14 million admissions could be within reach.
Despite a series of unexpected incidents, the film’s momentum has not slowed. On the 10th, producer B.A. Entertainment warned on its official social media channels that scammers were impersonating the film’s publicity team and urged caution, stressing that the company will never contact individuals first to request money or run events outside official posts.
A plagiarism claim also emerged. On the 9th, the family of a theater actor who died in 2019 alleged that the film bears significant similarities to an early draft screenplay the actor wrote in the 2000s for a drama about Eom Heung-do. The family says it are descendants of the drama’s protagonist, Eom Heung-do. Onda Works immediately denied the allegation, calling the film an original work based on historical fact and saying detailed records of the creative process can verify that.
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| The Man Who Lives with the King / Photo = DB |
Onda Works CEO Im Eun-jung also spoke directly to reporters. “This project started with the material itself,” Im said. “The credits list the original creator, the director, the screenwriter and the adapter. We have contracts and meeting minutes for every stage of the process. Once we present those records, there should be no room for doubt. The other side’s position hasn’t changed since they first raised the issue.”
She said the company had invited members of the Eom Heung-do family to a technical screening. “We emphasized that the film’s core intention and the way it treats its characters are meant to honor Danjong and Eom Heung-do — not to hinge on choices about the ending or comic moments,” Im said. “The film addresses life and death, and we judged this approach to be the most effective. Since the release, many audience members seem to have recognized that.”
Im also addressed criticism of the so-called tacky tiger CGI. She said the production pushed through difficult conditions and that everyone did their best under the circumstances. Calling the CGI a regret, she added, “Because viewers noticed it, we’ve discussed with the distributor the need to rework it and plan to do another pass. There’s no decision yet on when a replacement might occur.”
She responded as well to questions about the late actor Lee Sun-kyun appearing in the end credits. Some speculated that director Jang Hang-jun, who was close to the actor, included the name as a tribute. “Many people’s names appear in the credits, and we don’t always confirm each one together,” Im said. “That credit is for someone who helped us, so internally we don’t make a big public statement about it.”
The Man Who Lives with the King has defied expectations and kept piling up viewers beyond the ten-million benchmark. As the film helps usher in what many see as a spring for Korean cinema, all eyes are on the next milestones it will reach.
[Sports Today reporter Lim Si-ryeong ent@stoo.com]
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