Jang Hang-jun, the "10 million director," kept his promise. As the film The King's Warden surpassed 12 million viewers and continued its box-office surge, director Jang Hang-jun personally held a coffee truck event to thank audiences.
On the 12th at 12 p.m., director Jang Hang-jun held a box-office thank-you coffee truck event for The King's Warden at the square in front of the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, and met with citizens.
In particular, hundreds of people poured in before the event began, forming a long line, and interest was so strong that registration for waiting had already closed an hour before the event started. That shows the continued popularity of The King's Warden and its director, Jang Hang-jun.
Buoyed by the support, that day Jang Hang-jun handed out drinks he had personally prepared to citizens and expressed his gratitude. He said, "What is this? I'm grateful," and added, "Thanks to the great love from the audience, the actors are living days that feel like a dream. I hope our work becomes an opportunity for Korean cinema to come back to life."
He also responded to citizens' requests for selfies and continued fan service, producing heartwarming scenes. On online communities, reviews from fans who met director Jang Hang-jun in person have been posted, making his enduring popularity apparent.
The King's Warden is set in Cheongryeongpo in 1457 and tells the story of the young dethroned monarch Danjong, who was exiled, and the people of Gwangcheon-gol village who welcomed him. Praised for its weighty resonance and the actors' passionate performances, it recently surpassed 12 million cumulative viewers, setting the highest box-office record for a Korean film in two years and heating up the theaters.
In a related interview, when asked about the significance of The King's Warden surpassing 10 million for the Korean film industry, he explained, "If you watch the Italian film 'Cinema Paradiso,' you see rural people crying and laughing in the theater. Feeling that warmth and atmosphere, time-traveling while experiencing an emotional whirlpool, and sharing that feeling was the communal emotion. The fact that people felt this emotion itself is not the film's significance?"
He added, "The structure of Korean cinema is a cycle in which theaters make money and reinvest in films, and if that doesn't work, films disappear. I'm satisfied that The King's Warden has offered hope for a virtuous cycle and has blazed the trail a bit."
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS
[OSEN]