Jang Hang-jun, director of The King's Warden, the 34th film in history to attract 10 million viewers, talked about the next steps.
On the 13th episode of KBS1 Newsline W, Jang Hang-jun, director of The King's Warden, and actor Yoo Ji-tae, who gave a passionate performance as Han Myeong-hoe, appeared.
The King's Warden depicted Cheongnyeongpo in 1457 and the story of the village chief who volunteered for exile to revive the village and the young dethroned monarch who was exiled. After becoming the 34th film in history to reach 10 million viewers, it surpassed 12 million viewers on its 36th day after release, and cumulative box office revenue also exceeded 116.1 billion won. Among them, Jang Hang-jun put up only a small amount of equity, and agency head Song Eun I is known not to have made an investment on behalf of the agency.
Director Jang Hang-jun, now a 10-million director, and Yoo Ji-tae, now a 10-million actor, each said, "It is unbelievable. It is beyond imagination. It felt like a huge hidden camera, like a dream," and "There can be value in film beyond numbers, but a film without audiences cannot exist. The 10 million figure is special to me and to audiences."
Director Jang Hang-jun did not expect the film to reach 10 million viewers. He said, "The break-even point was 2.6 million, and I thought even that would be hard to surpass, but on opening day the score was half of what I expected. I thought we would fail to pass the break-even point, but from the day after next we began to rebound. In the early days the production team's mood was not good."
Against Jang Hang-jun's expectations, The King's Warden surpassed 12 million viewers. Jang Hang-jun laughed, "My predictions have never been right. I am still overwhelmed by the excessive love and satisfied, and the industry talks about numbers, but I think the figures have left our predictions and human hands." Yoo Ji-tae said, "We achieved what we set out to do. As fellow cast members, I hope it remains the biggest hit for everyone involved. I also secretly hope it will become the third-highest grossing Korean film."
The King's Warden's key points were historical accuracy and Yoo Ji-tae's portrayal of Han Myeong-hoe. Jang Hang-jun said, "There are more things to consider than with modern pieces. If costumes that show daily life are wrong, you get criticized even before release. In historical films people often take clothes out of warehouses, but we produced all the extras' costumes. It wasn't easy, but the costume director poured their heart into the design," and, "I thought of Yoo Ji-tae from the start. I wanted to depict a different Han Myeong-hoe, and when I looked into records I found descriptions resembling Yoo Ji-tae. The descriptions of appearance matched Yoo Ji-tae, so I contacted him and he agreed with the intent and was cast."
Yoo Ji-tae, who captivated audiences as a different kind of Han Myeong-hoe, said, "There was a preconceived image of Han Myeong-hoe, and I wanted to break that. Because of Yoo Ji-tae's existing image, I thought we should interpret him differently. I drew on strengths from previous historical pieces and discussed with the director how to create a different aspect of Han Myeong-hoe. After Vigilante I gained weight, and I tried to maintain that. For the eyes, since I had played charismatic roles in past historical pieces, I wondered how to emphasize that, so I slightly taped them."
The King's Warden continues to draw audiences and sustain its box office success. Jang Hang-jun said, "I think in some ways the era has lost its sense of meaning. Friends and lovers even keep score, but these are the stories of people who risked death to do right in the brutal eras of our ancestors, the people who tried to protect those things. I wanted to pose biting questions to audiences: must unrealized justice be forgotten, and should a successful rebellion be acknowledged?"
Jang Hang-jun also urged, "I will rest for now. I am preparing and reviewing works. Few markets are creating their own language for film, but Korea is one of them. Korean film is in crisis, but theaters are showing strength. If you continue to take interest in many films, I think this culture will be passed down to future generations."
Yoo Ji-tae said, "I am a very fortunate actor. I earned the title of a 10-million actor, and it was possible because of an excellent director, production team and audiences. I will do my best so I can continue to show good acting."
Meanwhile, The King's Warden, the biggest hit of 2026, is being warmly screened in theaters.
[OSEN]