Animated film ‘The King of Kings’ tops ‘Parasite’ as highest-grossing Korean film in U.S.

Korean animation studio Mofac Studios’ film “The King of Kings” has set a new record as the highest-grossing Korean film in the U.S. market, surpassing Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 hit drama film “Parasite.”

“The King of Kings” reached a cumulative gross of $54.51 million as of Sunday, according to the film’s production studio Mofac Studios on Monday.

This figure exceeds the final U.S. box office total of $53.84 million earned by “Parasite” in its 2019 release. With this achievement, “The King of Kings” has become the most successful Korean film ever released in the U.S. in terms of box office revenue.

Written and directed by Mofac Studio CEO Jang Sung-ho, “The King of Kings” is a 3-D animated feature based on “The Life of Our Lord” (1934), a book written by British author Charles Dickens for his children. The story follows Dickens as he explains to his young son Walter the life of Jesus Christ and why he is considered the true “King of Kings.”

The film drew attention for its star-studded voice cast, which includes Oscar Isaac, Pierce Brosnan, Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Mark Hamill.

Released on April 11 across 3,200 theaters in North America, “The King of Kings” recorded an opening weekend box office of $19.1 million, surpassing “The Prince of Egypt” (1998) to set a new record for the highest-grossing opening weekend among animated biblical films. It has also received an “A+” rating from CinemaScore’s audience surveys, maintaining strong momentum at the box office.

The film is scheduled for release in Korea in July.

BY LEE YOUNG-HEE  [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]