South Korea’s box office hit the Lunar New Year holiday with a clear leader and a fast-growing rival, as historical drama The King’s Warden stayed at No. 1 while spy action title Humint pushed for more showtimes, data from the Korean Film Council’s ticketing service showed.
On Saturday, Feb. 14, The King’s Warden generated $2.42 million on 1,729 screens, taking a 53.29% revenue share and lifting its running total to $12.22 million from 1.86 million admissions. Humint, released Feb. 11, earned $1.36 million on 1,375 screens for a 30.07% share, reaching $3.44 million and 499,281 admissions. Among holdovers, Choir of God took in $119,863 and Once We Were Us added $77,380, as theaters spread limited prime sessions across several domestic titles.
Advance sales signaled a tight race for the peak days of the break. As of 9 a.m. Saturday, The King’s Warden led presales with a 44% ticketing rate, ahead of Humint at 28.7%, Yonhap News Agency reported. The holiday runs through Wednesday, with Lunar New Year on Tuesday, and exhibitors often see demand swing by time of day as family outings and group trips compress into a few high-volume windows.
The King’s Warden, directed by Jang Hang-jun, centers on the bond between a village chief and the deposed young King Danjong during exile, pairing period spectacle with accessible emotion. Humint, from Ryoo Seung-wan, follows a South Korean intelligence officer who teams with a North Korean counterpart to protect a key informant, leaning on star power and set-piece action to compete head-to-head.
Early Sunday delivered another benchmark for the top title. The film passed 2 million admissions at 12:36 a.m. Feb. 15, the Korean Film Council said, hitting the mark just over 11 days after release. With both releases holding large screen counts, daily leadership during the holiday will hinge on showtime allocation and repeat business.
