Surpassing "Amateur" and Others... 10 Billion KRW in Sales on Opening Day
First Week Revenue Expected to Reach 25.7 Billion KRW, U.S. Media Calls It "A Surprise"
An animated film produced by a domestic studio is performing well by ranking second at the box office immediately after its release in North America. According to the U.S. box office tracking site Box Office Mojo, on the 12th (local time), "The King of Kings" by Angel Studio, which opened in about 3,200 theaters across North America, earned $7,010,275 (approximately 10 billion KRW) in ticket sales on that day alone. It ranked second at the box office, following Warner Bros.' "Minecraft Movie" ($20.5 million).
This achievement surpassed strong competitors such as 20th Century Fox's "Amateur" ($6 million), A24's "Warfair" ($3.56 million), and Universal Pictures' "Drop" ($3.34 million). The local entertainment media Variety described it as "a surprise that Korean animation has outperformed new releases from major Hollywood studios," and reported that the first-week revenue is expected to be about $18 million (approximately 25.7 billion KRW). It also forecasted, "With Easter approaching on the 20th, it could attract even more attention."
This film is a 3D animation by Mopack Studio, which has handled visual effects (VFX) for numerous Korean films. CEO Jang Seong-ho directed, wrote the screenplay, and produced the film, while cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung also participated in production. The film adapted Charles Dickens' "The Life of Our Lord" to appeal familiarly to Western audiences. Hollywood famous actors such as Oscar Isaac, Pierce Brosnan, Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, and Mark Hamill lent their voices for the characters.
Angel Studio, which handled North American distribution, is a small independent distributor. It gained recognition by earning $184 million (approximately 262.4 billion KRW) in ticket sales with the 2023 low-budget thriller "Sound of Freedom." Ahead of this release, they actively marketed the film by running a "Kids Go Free" event, where one adult ticket purchase grants a free ticket for one child, lighting a green light for box office success. Industry insiders believe "The King of Kings" may break Angel Studio's own box office records.
CEO Jang, who made this film, has been responsible for VFX in numerous films since the mid-1990s, including "Haeundae" (2009), "A Werewolf Boy" (2012), and "Hansan: Rising Dragon" (2022). With diverse production know-how and advanced technology, he has also opened possibilities for virtual production in Korea. Cinematographer Kim, who collaborated on the project, started with "Bad Movie" (1997) and has worked on films such as "Happy End" (1999), "The President's Last Bang" (2005), "The Front Line" (2011), "Assassination" (2015), "The King" (2017), and "1987" (2017).
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