The King’s Warden Surpasses 10 Million Viewers, Officially Enters List of South Korea’s Highest-Grossing Films

The King's Warden (Doc. Ist)

SecondUpdate.com – The South Korean historical film The King’s Warden continues to achieve remarkable success at the box office.

The film, starring Park Ji Hoon, has officially surpassed 10 million viewers in South Korea.

According to data from the Korean Film Council, The King’s Warden reached the milestone on Friday, March 6, 2026.

The achievement came just 31 days after its premiere on February 4, 2026.

With this result, The King’s Warden has become the 25th South Korean film in history to surpass 10 million viewers.

This milestone also places the Joseon Dynasty–set historical film among the highest-grossing films in South Korea.

The movie is directed by Jang Hang Jun. Its success is considered an important achievement for the Korean film industry following the pandemic era. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, The King’s Warden has become the sixth film to reach the 10-million-viewer mark.

Interestingly, the film is also the third standalone movie outside The Roundup franchise to achieve this milestone, following 12.12: The Day (2023) and Exhuma (2024).

In the historical film category, The King’s Warden also joins the list of period films that have achieved major box office success. Previously, only three historical films had surpassed 10 million viewers: The King and the Clown, Masquerade, and The Admiral: Roaring Currents.

Before reaching this milestone, many film analysts had high expectations for The King’s Warden. The film was seen as having the potential to help revive South Korea’s cinema industry, which has struggled as streaming platforms continue to gain popularity.

The King’s Warden tells the historical story of Danjong of Joseon, the sixth king of the Joseon Dynasty who ascended the throne at the age of 12.

However, his reign was short-lived after he was overthrown by his own uncle, Sejo of Joseon, who was previously known as Grand Prince Suyang.

In the film, Park Ji Hoon portrays King Danjong, who is later exiled to a remote village after losing the throne. In exile, his life changes drastically and becomes filled with emotional challenges.

During his time in exile, he develops an unexpected relationship with the village head, Eum Heung Do, played by Yoo Hai Jin. Their interactions become one of the key elements that make the film’s story powerful and touching.

The tragic journey of King Danjong from ascending the throne at a young age to ending his life in exile, has captured the attention of many viewers and historical film enthusiasts.

The film’s success proves that strong historical storytelling can still captivate audiences despite the growing competition from digital streaming services.