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Actor Park Ji-hoon will meet global audiences as ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ enjoys box-office success.

The film ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ (director Jang Hang-jun, presented and distributed by Showbox Co., produced by Onda Works Co./BA Entertainment Co.) tells the story set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo of village head Eom Heung-do, who volunteers for exile to revive his village, and the young former king Lee Hong-wi, who has been driven from the throne, living together and what unfolds between them. Since its release, it has moved audiences across generations and has become a hit, racing steadily toward 10 million admissions.

Amid enthusiastic word of mouth, ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ is opening in 26 U.S. cities, including New Jersey, LA, Washington DC, Seattle, and Las Vegas, and in countries such as Canada, Australia, Taiwan, and New Zealand, bringing it to overseas audiences.

‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ opened in Australia on the 19th of last month to strong interest. Local audiences shared reactions on social media such as “So thrilled it opened in Australia” and “It was nearly sold out, I would have been in trouble without a reservation,” underscoring its global popularity.

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In addition, ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ recently surpassed a cumulative 9 million admissions, drawing one step closer to 10 million. With the passionate performances of the cast, led by Park Ji-hoon as ‘Danjong’, cited as the engine of its success, attention is on whether a ‘10 million admissions Korean film’ will emerge for the first time in two years since ‘Exhuma’ in 2024.

On top of this, ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ announced more good news as it was officially invited to the main competition section of the ‘28th Udine Far East Film Festival’, which opens on April 24. The ‘Udine Far East Film Festival’ is the largest European festival that introduces Asian films with a distinctive identity. Anticipation is building over whether ‘The Man Who Lives with the King’ can captivate audiences worldwide with buoyant humor and deep emotion that transcend language and nationality.

As the film continues its hit run, Park Ji-hoon is showing a steep rise, including taking first place in the Rising Star Brand Reputation for February 2026 announced by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute.

Park Ji-hoon plans to meet the public through an even broader range of activities, including the TVING original series ‘Becoming a Legend as a Military Cook’, slated for release in the first half of this year, and a variety show that reunites Wanna One as a full group for the first time in about seven years.

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