SLL once again produced a "ten-million audience" film, proving its dominance in Korea's content market.
SLL said that its label B.A. Entertainment's co-produced film with OndaWorks, "The King's Warden" (director Jang Hang-jun), surpassed a cumulative audience of 10 million on the 6th (Friday).(Based on the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) integrated computer network) This is a record born about two years after B.A. Entertainment, in the first half of 2024, co-produced "The Roundup: Punishment" (2024) with Hong Film and Big Punch Pictures, which attracted 11.5 million viewers.
In particular, this achievement is even more noteworthy because the owner of the ten-million-audience film that appeared about two years after "The Roundup: Punishment" in 2024 is also a work from SLL's label. SLL-produced content has consecutively continued Korea's film industry "ten-million lineage." The success in the box office of "The Outlaws" series, a crime action genre, followed by the historical drama "The King's Warden" shows SLL's broad production spectrum not limited to a specific genre, its continuous project planning and production, and the stability of its label system.
■ planning that turned "familiarity" into "novelty," drawing responses from audiences of all generations
The secret to "The King's Warden" surpassing 10 million is undoubtedly its "fresh reinterpretation of familiar history" and "immersive appeal across generations." "The King's Warden," which deals with the story of the young former king I Hong-wi (Park Jihoon) exiled to Yeongwol in 1457 and the village headman Um Heung-do (Yoo Hai Jin) who tries to protect him, melted the universal value of "humanity" into historical tragedy and won intense empathy from audiences.
In particular, director Jang Hang-jun's unique mix of humor and sharp direction lightened the heavy tone typical of historical dramas while delivering messages that modern viewers can relate to, breaking the prejudice that "historical dramas are difficult." Added to this, the serious transformation of the trusted actor Yoo Hai Jin and the densely emotional performance of newcomer Park Jihoon became the decisive driving force that drew audiences of all ages from teens and 20s to middle-aged and older viewers to theaters.
■ victory of SLL's multi-label strategy, fruition of production support and distribution synergy
From a production standpoint, this ten-million milestone can be interpreted as a victory for the "multi-label strategy" SLL has pursued. SLL guaranteed an independent production environment so that its label B.A. Entertainment could maximize creativity, and increased the chances of success through an efficient distribution strategy using its global network.
By producing another mega-hit IP with a "ten-million audience" in two years, SLL has clearly proven not only its content production competitiveness favored by the market but also the system and future growth potential to continuously generate high value-added IP under a multi-label structure.
An SLL official said, "We are very pleased to achieve another major record with 'The Roundup: Punishment' two years ago and now with 'The King's Warden,'" and noted, "Going forward, SLL will continue to present well-made content that global audiences can be excited about while respecting the individuality and expertise of each label."
Meanwhile, "The King's Warden," the first ten-million film of 2026, continues to be screened amid explosive praise from audiences, and SLL plans to use this achievement as a springboard to present a variety of works this year, including films, drama, and entertainment.<
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