SEOUL - The success of "The King's Warden" has come as a breath of fresh air for Korean cinema, which has been struggling to draw audiences to theaters.
Korean films last crossed the 10-million admission mark at theaters nationwide in 2024, when Jang Jae-hyun's supernatural thriller "Exhuma" and "The Roundup: Punishment," the fourth installment of the popular action-crime film franchise starring Ma Dong-seok, both achieved the feat.
The milestone went unmatched last year, with the biggest domestic hit being "My Daughter is a Zombie," which attracted 5.64 million viewers. Two highly anticipated films from celebrated Korean auteurs fell short of expectations: Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" and Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" attracted 3.1 million and 2.94 million viewers, respectively.
The numbers paint a stark picture for the domestic film industry.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, annual admissions consistently topped 200 million, peaking at a record 226 million in 2019, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).
That figure sharply dropped to 51 million in 2020 and only partially recovered, climbing back to 115 million in 2022 before slipping again to 106 million last year.
On a brighter note, mid-sized films catering to niche audiences held their own last year, which pointed to the potential of a more diverse cinematic landscape spanning a wider range of genres and sensibilities.
For example, Yeon Sang-ho's ultra-low budget film "The Ugly" drew 1.07 million viewers, while indie film "The World Of Love" attracted 200,000 viewers, a strong showing by independent film standards.
The milestone reached by "The King's Warden," coming off a dismal year for Korean cinema, is hoped to serve as a shot in the arm for the slate of domestic films awaiting their premieres this year.
Among them is Na Hong-jin's sci-fi mystery "Hope," from the director who captivated audiences with the critically acclaimed 2016 box office hit "The Wailing." Starring Hwang Jung-min and Zo In-sung, "Hope" marks Na's first work in a decade, following a mysterious chain of events that unfolds in a port village inside the demilitarized zone.
Also in the pipeline is Im Sang-soo's "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness," a story about an escaped convict (Choi Min-sik) and a patient (Park Hae-il) who find themselves on an unlikely journey together after a windfall of unexpected money.
The success of "The King's Warden," which took approximately 10.5 billion won (US$7.11 million) in production costs, also underscores the value of government efforts to nurture mid-sized films.
With box office returns becoming increasingly polarized and the post-COVID recovery remaining sluggish, the government launched its first support program specifically targeting mid-budget productions last year.
It has doubled the allocated budget to 20 billion won this year as part of broader efforts to revitalize the local film industry and bolster what KOFIC Chairman Han Sang-joon has called the "backbone of Korean cinema."
Whether the film proves to be a turning point or a rare bright spot remains to be seen. But for an industry searching for signs of optimism, it offers a welcome reminder of the power of a good story told on the big screen.
