With powerful performances from actors that deliver a weighty resonance and lingering aftertaste, the film The King's Warden, hailed as a strong historical drama and crowned 2026's biggest hit, drew the largest audience ever among Korean films released after the pandemic.
According to the Korea Integrated Film Ticketing System, The King's Warden surpassed 13.46 million cumulative admissions on Sunday, March 15, its 40th day since release, setting a new box office record.
The King's Warden sparked a nationwide "Wangsa-nam" syndrome and continued its box office run amid support from audiences across generations, recording 13,467,838 cumulative admissions on Sunday, March 15, its 40th day since release. This surpasses the cumulative admissions of Seoul's Spring (13,128,080), which drew the largest audience for a Korean film released after the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Thus, The King's Warden set a major record as the Korean film released after the pandemic to attract the largest audience, rising to fifth place on the all-time Korean film box office and seventh place overall including foreign films, proving its box office frenzy. Fueled by this momentum, speculation is growing over whether it might challenge the all-time No. 1, The Admiral: Roaring Currents (17.61 million).
Surpassing 13.46 million admissions and racing unstoppable along its box office run, 2026's biggest hit The King's Warden tells the story set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo of a village chief who volunteered for exile to revive the village and the young deposed former king who was exiled from the throne.<
[Photo] movie poster, Korea Integrated Film Ticketing System
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