The Man Living with the King': How Much Will Director Jang Hang-jun Actually Make?

'The Man Living with the King': How Much Will Director Jang Hang-jun Actually Make?

As of March 1, 2026, the Korean historical film The Man Living with the King has surpassed 8 million cumulative admissions — just 26 days after its release. 

That is a faster pace than The King and the Clown, the first Korean sageuk to hit 10 million tickets. 

With only 2 million more to go, the question on everyone's mind is: how much will director Jang Hang-jun, who wrote and directed the film, actually pocket if it crosses the 10 million mark?

How Is a Single Ticket Split?The 15,000-won ticket price you pay at the box office does not go straight to the production company. First, about 13% — roughly 1,950 won — is deducted for the Film Development Fund (3%) and VAT (10%). The remaining amount is then split 50/50 between the theater and the distributor (Showbox). 

After distributor fees are accounted for, the combined share reaching the investors and production companies comes to approximately 4,153 won per ticket.The Math at 10 Million TicketsMultiply 4,153 won by 10 million viewers and the total amount reaching the investment and production side is roughly 41.5 billion won (approximately USD 31 million). 

Subtract the reported production budget of 10.5 billion won and the net profit lands at around 31 billion won. Following standard Korean film industry practice, this is split roughly 60% to investors and 40% to the production companies. 

That means investors take home approximately 18.6 billion won, while the production companies — Ondaworks and BA Entertainment — share around 12.4 billion won.

What Does Jang Hang-jun Personally Receive?

This is the most important part. The director's personal earnings come from two distinct channels.

The first is the running guarantee. Because Jang Hang-jun both wrote the screenplay (co-written with Hwang Seong-gu) and directed the film, he almost certainly has a running guarantee clause in his contract — meaning he receives a percentage of profits once the film passes its break-even point. 

While the exact terms are not public, industry convention in Korea places a director and screenwriter's running guarantee at roughly 5 to 15% of the production company's profit. Applied to the production side's 12.4 billion won, that works out to somewhere between 620 million and 1.86 billion won for the director personally.

The second channel is equity in Ondaworks. Ondaworks is a small production company founded in 2023, and The Man Living with the King is essentially its debut feature. 

If Jang Hang-jun holds a significant ownership stake — which is common for director-founded production companies — he would receive a share of the production company's 12.4 billion won profit directly, on top of any running guarantee. 

In that scenario, his total earnings would be considerably higher.Combining both channels, the director's realistic estimated personal earnings at 10 million admissions are somewhere in the range of 6 billion to 12 billion won (approximately USD 4.5 million to USD 9 million), depending on contract terms and his equity stake in Ondaworks. 

This does not yet account for secondary rights income such as OTT licensing and overseas sales, which would push the figure even higher.

What About Taxes?If the running guarantee is paid to him as an individual, it is classified as business income, withheld at 3.3%, and settled through an annual comprehensive income tax return. 

If profits flow through Ondaworks as a corporation, corporate tax applies first, and any dividend payout would then be subject to a 15.4% dividend income tax.

Box Office Is Just the BeginningTheatrical revenue is only part of the picture. OTT platform rights, IPTV and VOD licensing, and international distribution deals all generate additional income after the theatrical run. 

Analysts noted that even at the 6 million admission mark, the film had already delivered a return on investment exceeding 200%. With the 10 million milestone within reach, and secondary rights still ahead, the final total return is expected to climb well beyond what the box office alone reflects.

One More Thing: The Director's PromiseJang Hang-jun publicly promised that if the film reaches 10 million admissions, he will legally change his name and get plastic surgery. With 800 million tickets already sold, it looks like that promise may soon be put to the test.

Disclaimer: The running guarantee percentage and Ondaworks equity structure are not publicly disclosed. All figures related to the director's personal earnings are estimates based on standard Korean film industry conventions and should be understood as approximations, not confirmed amounts.