The Korean historical film "Gwanghae:the Man Who Became the King" reigns at the local box office,breaking the 5 million mark in attendance numbers, officials said Monday.

The movie, directed by Choo Chang-min and starring top actor Lee Byung-hun, drew 5.23 million viewers as of Monday, 18 days after its release, according to the Korean Film Commission.

Actor Lee plays dual roles as King Gwanghae, the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), and the humble acrobat Ha-sun, who stands in for the monarch when he faces the threat of being poisoned.

Gwanghae is known as one of the unfortunate figures in history, as he was deposed in a coup and thus failed to earn a temple name.

It became the second local movie to draw more than 5 million viewers this year after "The Thieves."

The Thieves has attracted more than 13 million viewers as of Sept. 29, to become the country's second top-selling film ever, according to its distributor. (Yonhap News)


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광해, 관객 500만 돌파


이병헌 주연의 영화 '광해, 왕이 된 남자'가 관객 500만 명을 돌파했다.

1일 영화진흥위원회 영화관입장권 통합전산망에 따르면 '광해'는 전날인 지난달 30일 62만1천944명의 관객을 더해 누적관객수 523만4천427명을 기록했다. 지난달 13일 개봉한 이래 18일 만이다.

올해 개봉한 한국영화 중 '도둑들'에 이어 500만 관객을 넘은 두 번째 영화가 됐다. (연합뉴스)