[NC Box Office] ‘The King's Warden’ Wobbles at No. 1 as ‘Project Hail Mary’ Gains Ground

Film posters for The King's Warden and Project Hail Mary. Photo by each distributor.

The King's Warden is still on top, but its grip on the box office is starting to loosen.

According to the Korean Film Council on April 1, the film drew 55,377 viewers on March 31, retaining the No. 1 spot. Its cumulative total now stands at 15,731,869 admissions.

The historical hit crossed the 10 million mark in just 31 days and surged to No. 3 on Korea’s all-time box office list, surpassing Ode to My Father and Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. With fresh titles entering the market, the key question now is endurance: whether it can push past Extreme Job (16.26 million) and ultimately challenge The Admiral: Roaring Currents (17.61 million).

Set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo, the film follows a village leader who chooses exile for his people and a dethroned young king forced into the same fate.

Close behind, Project Hail Mary is accelerating. The Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi drew 41,494 viewers, bringing its total to 1,234,723.

Based on Andy Weir’s novel, the film centers on a lone astronaut who wakes without memory aboard a spacecraft and must complete a last-ditch mission to save humanity.

Detective Conan: The Last Wizard of the Century. Photo by CJ ENM.

In third place, Detective Conan: The Last Wizard of the Century added 3,342 viewers for a cumulative 58,989.

The animated title pits master thief Kaito Kid against Conan in a battle over the Romanov dynasty’s final treasure, the “Memories Egg.”

Hoppers followed in fourth with 2,566 viewers (712,812 total), while Protector rounded out the top five with 2,269 viewers (22,786 total).

Reported by News Culture [e-mail]