Korean films 'Humint' and "The King's Warden" are reviving hope for Korean cinema in the new year of the byeongo (Year of the Horse) with a twin blockbuster run.
Ahead of the busy Lunar New Year holiday box office, 'Humint' and "The King's Warden," released just before the holiday season, have delivered welcome box office news to a Korean film industry that had been struggling, and have also reinvigorated theaters that had seen fewer patrons.
First, 'Humint' (director Ryu Seung-wan, distributed by NEW, produced by Oeyunaegang Co., Ltd.) depicts a clash in Vladivostok where secrets and truths are submerged in a cold sea of ice as people with different objectives collide. It boasts a star-studded cast including Zo In-sung, Park Jeongmin, Park Hae-jun and Shin Sae-kyeong, and it shares a universe with Ryu Seung-wan's 2013 hit 'Berlin,' which surpassed 7 million admissions.
'Humint' saw advance ticketing approach 40% the day before its release and surpassed 190,000 tickets, the highest advance sales among this year's releases, raising expectations. The film, while aiming for a spy action genre, adds the poignant romantic emotion between Park Jeongmin and Shin Sae-kyeong, capturing both male and female audiences. Indeed, among viewers who saw the film, reviews such as "the romantic aftertaste is deep" poured in.
According to the integrated box office network, 'Humint' has exceeded 1.6 million cumulative admissions and is sailing toward 2 million. Alongside "The King's Warden," it succeeded as a twin hit and upheld the pride of Korean cinema. Above all, director Ryu Seung-wan has consistently released films even in the difficult post-pandemic market, with 'Mogadishu' (2021), 'Smuggling' (2023) and 'I, The Executioner' (2024), and this time he proved his capabilities again with 'Humint'.
"The King's Warden" is a historical drama set in Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, telling the story of a village chief who volunteered for exile for the village's revival and a young dethroned former king exiled to the area. The synergy of a Lunar New Year holiday release and a historical drama, and the fact that it handles the previously untold hidden story of Danjong, produced results, and on the 20th day since its release, on the 23rd it surpassed 6 million cumulative admissions.
This record precedes the 6 million milestone of many beloved historical films such as 'The King and the Clown' (29th) and 'The Throne' (26th), and it matches the box office speed of the sensational hit 'Masquerade.' Holding the No. 1 spot at the overall box office for 11 consecutive days, "The King's Warden" is cementing itself as 2026's biggest hit and is cautiously being predicted to reach 10 million admissions.
Director Jang Hang-jun, who directed the film, said, "There's no way it will reach 10 million, but if it does, I'll change my phone number, change my name and get plastic surgery so no one can recognize me," and added, "I'm thinking about naturalizing somewhere else. I hope no one looks for me. And I'm thinking about buying a yacht. I'll have a party on board," making a pledge that has drawn attention to whether it will come true.
According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) integrated network, this Lunar New Year holiday saw average daily attendance increase by about 58% compared with last year's Lunar New Year, and the share of Korean films exceeded 90%. Thanks to the successes of 'Humint' and 'Wangsa-nam' and others, Korean films have finally caught a breath.
[photo] posters and still cuts for each film
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