The King's Warden, a film that rose to become the biggest box-office hit of 2026 with powerful historical drama praise driven by the actors' weighty performances and resonant aftereffects (director Jang Hang-jun, distributed/provided by SHOWBOX, produced by Onda Works·BA Entertainment, abbreviated as "왕사남"), is heating up theaters overseas as well as in Korea.
The King's Warden, the biggest box-office hit of 2026 that became the 34th film in history to reach 10 million admissions, has continued hot box-office momentum in North America, proving the strength of K-movies. The King's Warden is the story of Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, of a village headman who volunteered for exile to revive the village and a young dethroned former king who was exiled.
The King's Warden surpassed 12 million admissions on its 36th day after release and remains No. 1 at the box office in its fifth week. In particular, marking the birth of a 10-million-admission film for the first time in two years since The Roundup: Punishment, it has established itself as this year's representative box-office hit. Alongside the actors' strong performances, real viewers' successive praise for a work that densely portrays the hidden narrative of Danjong has sparked multiple-viewing enthusiasm, extending its long run at the box office.
Following its domestic success, overseas theater responses have also been hot, with its North American run drawing particular attention. The King's Warden began staggered release in the United States starting on Feb. 13 (local time) and has been screened in more than 50 cities across the United States and Canada, meeting global audiences. In its second week of North American release, The King's Warden surpassed The Roundup: Punishment's North American box-office record and, as of March 9, had earned $1.79 million, outperforming the North American performances of 12.12: The Day and Extreme Job. As a result, the scale of its North American release is gradually expanding. This week it opens in 125 theaters, bringing its cumulative count to about 150 theaters, an unusually large run for a Korean film released in North America.
JBG Pictures USA, which handles North American distribution, said, "Riding the current box-office momentum, we are expanding screening regions every week. We are doing our best to secure theaters so that more audiences, especially in major areas where Koreans reside in North America, can watch the film," conveying how the popularity of The King's Warden is spreading from Korea to the world. After surpassing 12 million admissions domestically and receiving enthusiastic responses overseas, attention is focused on how far the film's global box-office record will go.
The King's Warden, the fourth historical drama to reach 10 million admissions in history and the biggest box-office hit of 2026 that is heating up theaters not only in Korea but globally, is now showing to rave reviews in theaters.<
[Photo] Provided by SHOWBOX
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