If you’re a K-drama fanatic, then you’re definitely tuning in to watch Queen of Tears. Starring the fresh, quirky pairing of Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won, the rom-com drama is centered on the unhappy marriage between a chaebol heiress Hong Hae In (Kim Ji Won) and her husband Baek Hyun Woo (Kim Soo Hyun), who works as the legal director at her family conglomerate.
While Hyun Woo wants a divorce, things get complicated when Hae In makes a surprise revelation. Queen of Tears also stars Park Sung Hoon, Kwak Dong Yeon and Lee Joo Bin in pivotal roles alongside Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won. The K-drama is written by acclaimed scriptwriter Park Ji Eun of Crash Landing on You fame. Jang Young Woo and Kim Hee Won of Vincenzo fame have directed the tvN series. While Kim Soo Hyun makes his grand K-drama comeback with Queen of Tears, you’d be curious to know how much the Hallyu star is charging for the show…
How many crores is Kim Soo Hyun making for starring in Queen of Tears:
A Korean media outlet had recently reported that Kim Soo Hyun — who is the richest and highest-paid K-drama actor — was charging a whopping ₩800 million (approximately Rs 4.94 crore) per episode. Keeping in mind that there are 16 episodes of Queen of Tears, this would mean Kim Soo Hyun is taking home ₩12.8 billion (approximately Rs 79 crore) for the entire series. This is equivalent to one-third of Queen of Tears’ production budget, which according to Soompi, is approximately ₩40 billion (approximately Rs 247 crore).
This report, however, is untrue. Queen of Tears’ production company Studio Dragon issued a statement regarding Kim Soo Hyun’s remuneration for the series: “It is not true at all that his pay rate is 800 million won per episode. It is far from the truth,” according to Soompi. Furthermore, according to Sports Chosun, Kim Soo Hyun has, in fact, taken a substantial pay cut for Queen of Tears, owing to the reportedly growing concerns over the K-drama’s escalating production costs.
According to Hindustan Times, Kim Soo Hyun has reduced his pay for Queen of Tears and is charging less than what he made for his previous drama One Ordinary Day, for which the actor reportedly earned ₩500 million (approximately Rs 3 crore) per episode. This decision was reportedly influenced by writer Park Ji Eun, with whom Kim Soo Hyun has collaborated in My Love from the Star and The Producers.
Meanwhile, Queen of Tears reached its highest ratings yet for Episode 8, which scored an average nationwide rating of 16.1%. Song Joong Ki had a short but memorable appearance in the same episode, reprising his Vincenzo character, in parts, and reuniting with Kim Ji Won, his Descendants of the Sun and Arthdal Chronicles co-star.
P.S. You can watch Queen of Tears on Netflix.
