Kim Soo Hyun has been crowned as the highest paid Korean actor in recent years, so it isn’t a surprise that his K-dramas boast a big budget as well. The case seems to be true for his upcoming series Queen of Tears, after recent news reported its hefty estimated production costs.
READ: “Queen of Tears” K-Drama Estimated to Have Cost P1.7 Billion in Production
After his stint in the 2021 drama One Ordinary Day, Kim Soo Hyun is set to return to the screen in the tvN series Queen of Tears. The drama, which the actor stars opposite with My Liberation Notes and Descendants of the Sun’s Kim Ji Won, revolves around the “miraculous” love story of their characters.
Written by The Legend of the Blue Sea and Crash Landing on You’s Park Ji Eun, Soo Hyun portrays Baek Hyun-woo, the skilled legal director of the conglomerate Queens Group, who's wedded to Ji Won’s Hong Hae-in, the business giant's chaebol daughter. Unlike Hae-in, Hyun-woo is rooted in humble beginnings. Three years into their marriage, Hae-in comes face-to-face with a threat that could topple their wedded ties.
Aside from the main pair, the drama also includes Park Sung Hoon, Kwak Dong Yeon, and Lee Joo Bin.
Much anticipation has surrounded Queen of Tears, which is helmed by the production company Studio Dragon. With its stellar cast and the esteemed creatives behind it, Kim Hyeon Yong, a researcher at Hyundai Motor Securities, noted that the drama is the production company’s “tentpole project” of the year. According to him, the production cost of Queen of Tears is estimated at 40 billion Korean won (P1.7 billion) or 2.5 billion Korean won (P106 million). This makes it on par with high-ranking expensive dramas like Mr. Sunshine and Bulgasal: Immortal Souls, which have both been estimated to cost 40 billion Korean won to make.
Rumors also circulated that Soo Hyun might have been paid a hefty amount for the project, given his status. In 2021, reports said that the Hallyu star earned a whopping 500 million Korean won for each episode of One Ordinary Day. His pay could have likely taken an increase, with some saying that he might have earned 9.3 billion Korean won per episode.
With the high production value and its cast, Queen of Tears has definitely landed a spot in our to-watch list this year. The K-drama is set to premiere in March 2024 on tvN.
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
