Most audience members who went to see the film The King's Warden (directed by Jang Hang-jun) are reacting with bewilderment at the appearance of actor Oh Dal-soo. The film did not mention Oh Dal-soo's appearance at all and he did not participate in promotional activities. As a result, some viewers are saying they feel "betrayed."
On the 27th, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) integrated cinema network, the film The King's Warden drew 204,929 viewers nationwide on the 26th. With this, the cumulative audience reached 6,733,443.
Even on weekdays it has drawn more than 200,000 viewers a day and is on the verge of surpassing 7 million viewers. It is expected to surpass 7 million viewers this weekend.
If The King's Warden surpasses 7 million viewers, it will be about 1 year and 5 months since Veteran, which opened in September 2024. Last year the top-grossing Korean film was My Daughter is a Zombie, which drew 5,639,963 viewers.
Moreover, Park Jihoon's popularity is hot enough to be called a "Danjong syndrome" for his passionate performance as Danjong. Because of this popularity, he even appeared on tvN's You Quiz on the Block on the 25th.
In addition, Jang Hang-jun has been labeled a "master" as this is the biggest box-office hit among the films he has directed to date.
However, there is something that could hamper this success. It is the appearance of Oh Dal-soo, who was involved in a #MeToo controversy. Oh Dal-soo's appearance in The King's Warden was not disclosed at all. He did not take part in promotional activities, so prospective viewers did not know of his appearance.
Audience members who did not know about this said they were taken aback by Oh Dal-soo's sudden appearance while watching The King's Warden. He appears in quite a number of scenes, and there are even reports that many unsuspecting viewers left the theater feeling victimized.
Viewers who watched The King's Warden expressed discomfort, saying, "I went to see the movie without knowing and it ruined my mood," "I really want him to stop appearing," "He's everywhere," "I don't know why he's in it," and "My immersion was broken."
Oh Dal-soo was accused in February 2018 of sexually harassing and sexually assaulting a fellow actor. After the #MeToo revelations, Oh Dal-soo withdrew from all activities including tvN's My Mister. The following August, the case was closed as an internal inquiry with no formal investigation due to the statute of limitations, and he was not indicted.
Afterward, Oh Dal-soo returned in 2020 with the film The Neighbor and this year also appeared in Netflix original Shiraz's Squid Game season 2.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by SHOWBOX
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