The hit show “Queen of Tears” has topped Netflix Japan in three days, captivating global audiences with its riveting plot and star-studded cast
A New Series Climbs to the No. 1 Spot in Just Three Days on Netflix Japan, Securing the No. 1 Spot Globally
The premium storyteller group Studio Dragon’s recently released “Queen of Tears” shows signs of becoming a global phenomenon.
“Queen of Tears,” written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won and produced by Studio Dragon, Culture Depot and Showrunners, has become the latest TV obsession. This drama tells the story of how Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won), third-generation heir of the Queen’s Group chaebol, and Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun), the son of the mayor of Yongduri village, rekindle their broken love. The series is currently being broadcast on tvN, TVING and Netflix.
On April 3, Netflix announced its global (non-English) top 10 series for the week of March 25 to 31, where “Queen of Tears” ranked first, just two weeks after its initial release on March 9. Since its debut, it has accumulated a total viewing time of 93.8 million hours, showcasing its immediate popularity. Notably, “Queen of Tears” was ranked a top series on Netflix Japan just three days after its launch according to the global OTT platform ranking service FlixPatrol.
On Japan’s largest content review site Filmarks, the series recorded a high rating of 4.3 points out of 5, closely approaching the 4.5 points scored by “Crash Landing on You.”
“It’s been a long time since I was this invested in a Korean drama,” said one Japanese fan. “Kim Ji-won is so beautiful! It was interesting right from the get-go.” “Any show with these actors is bound to be great!” commented another. “Plus, you can’t go wrong with any series written by Park Ji-eun.”
According to the “2023 K-Content Overseas Expansion Status Survey” published by the Korea Creative Content Agency in January, Park Ji-eun’s previous work “Crash Landing on You,” was listed as one of the most frequently watched K-dramas in Japan alongside “Winter Sonata.” Since Park Ji-eun’s dramas tend to be popular in Japan, “Queen of Tears” was highly anticipated in the country even before its initial broadcast.
The series “takes what we commonly expect from K-dramas and turns it on its head by combining familiar and new elements,” said TIME magazine in a piece highlighting the global craze for “Queen of Tears.”
“Many K-dramas end with ‘happily ever after,’ but Queen of Tears starts that way,” Forbes said as they praised the series, celebrating the cast, writers and directors for their performances. The Straits Times, one of the most influential newspapers in Southeast Asia and Singapore’s largest daily, also praised “Queen of Tears” for its dynamic narrative and the chemistry between the actors.
Meanwhile, “Queen of Tears” has a climbing viewership rating with every new episode. As of episode 12, the series has an average viewership rate of 20.7%, exceeding the highest record (20.5%) set by Kim Eun-sook’s “Goblin” which was broadcast in 2016, and is the second highest in the history of tvN dramas following “Crash Landing on You” (21.6%) which aired in 2020.
