Lim Eun-jung, CEO of Onda Works / Courtesy of Showbox

The historical drama “The King’s Warden” has emerged as one of the biggest recent box office hits in Korean cinema, a breakout success that even its producers did not foresee. Lim Eun-jung, CEO of production company Onda Works, said she still finds the scale of the film’s success difficult to process.

“I am simply thankful to the director, actors and the staff,” Lim told The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul Wednesday.

“To be honest, I never imagined we would reach the 10-million-viewer milestone. Given how difficult the market has been lately, our initial goal was just to break even. Before the release, the director and I cautiously whispered to each other that we hoped to double the break-even point since it was a holiday season, but the actual response from the public has been beyond our wildest dreams.”

Set during the early Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the film follows the deposed King Danjong (Park Ji-hoon), who is exiled to Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, where he forms a bond with the village chief, Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin), and discovers a renewed will to live despite his tragic circumstances.

The film surpassed 12 million admissions as of Wednesday, becoming a cultural phenomenon and a rare breakout success by a new production company. Its success is being hailed as a beacon of hope for an industry that has struggled with dwindling investments and a production drought over the past few years.

Lim described the project as a “grassroots historical drama,” emphasizing that its perspective deviates from the palace-centered narratives typical of the genre.

“I believed the screenplay was incredibly meaningful,” she said. “It is not just about political fights in the palace. I saw it as a story about ordinary people, which is quite rare in Korean historical movies. I wanted to break the prejudice that historical films are only for a niche audience.”

Actor Yoo Hae-jin, third from left, in a scene from "The King's Warden" / Courtesy of Showbox

The journey to the big screen was not easy, as Lim originally developed the project while she was an employee at Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM. After the project was cancelled there, she took a risk and started her own company in 2023.

Source: Korea Times News