Production of Queen of Tears Already Earned Profit on Drama and Credits it Solely to Kim Soo Hyun Taking a Massive Pay Cut to Reunite with Screenwriter Park Ji Eun

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• My mom is so into that drama ! She watches it on Netflix

• Koala, did you check the math? Did QoT cost for 54 million won or 54 billion won? 54 million doesn't make sense! LOL. Typo?

  • I came here to type the same thing.....haha

  • Yes, it must be billion, or maybe 54 million dollars. 300 million, even if it's a pay cut, it means almost 5 billion (assuming it's 16 episodes...) just for the lead actor.

  • Does anyone have figures for how much profit CLOY made? Just to get an idea of the standard/previous profits from a similar big budget drama from the same team.

    • To be Frank, this whole mediaplay from his agency about his salary needs to stop. I remember this new got "leaked" to the media during the kim saeron scandal so pretty sure his agency did it to deflect by first spreading the 800mil rumour & then getting studio dragon to debunk & earn goodwill.
      Every single time for a new projectwe hear about his salary but it doesn't happen for any of the other top actors who I am pretty sure must be earning equal or more. it's getting tiring now & will bring him more hate especially in today's times when womens pay disparity is being talked widely. & On that note absolutely agree Kim Jiwon needs to be be paid equal or slightly less but again that won't be the case here for sure, not that it's KSH's fault though.
      I just wish his agency can find something else to promote him rather than this salary articles which just don't show him in a good light especially so in this case where it's obvious he must have negotiated BTS to get a cut in profits.

    • I am sorry again I do not know why it came as a reply to u, I wanted to post it as an independent post

    • @bn, everything you wrote here is YOUR assumption. Journalists write about all top actors’ salaries and when you’re as big as KSH, more media is going to pick up on it. YOU’RE pretty sure his agency leaked the news and then got Studio Dragon to deny, are you writing a fanfic or something? And it’s obvious he negotiated a cut of the profits? Were you in the room when this was discussed? How is it obvious? I know all the recent hype about KSH is making fans of other actors uncomfortable but the drama will end this week. Just bear with it for a bit longer. It will soon pass.

    • @bn - it's been known for years now that KSH the highest paid kdrama actor.

      He has been since at least 2021, and this is reported because he was the name used as the benchmark of salaries in an article about someone else who was getting acting offers and was reportedly being offered as much in fees as KSH at the time (this person did not take up acting or accept any roles). Not sure where you're getting the conspiracy theories about other actors and his agency from though.

      I'm a KJW fan and of course want her to do well and be successful but if KSH was paid more for this drama, I don't have a problem with it as long as the difference isn't too huge. His fee is as much for his star power as for his skills. But of course I hope she gets higher pay going forward, anyway that's not the fault of KSH as you acknowledged.

    • @BN

      Actually, Park Eun Bin and Lee Jung Jae are two other top actors who had a very similar news article come out relating pay. It happens when an actor is the talk of town. It is what it is and none of these 3 want it. Their agencies don’t want it. Their fans don’t want it. The media wants it so again, it is what it is.

    • @BN adding to @Butterfly, Song Joong Ki, Lee Min Ho and Song Hye Kyo also got revealed their salary for Vincenzo, Pachinko and The Glory

    • yeah and years ago Park Boyoung also had articles come out about how her salary for Oh My Ghostess (2015) was the highest salary ever paid to an actor for a cable drama at the time.

• I would be surprised if he didn’t negotiate for a cut of the profits, which might just get him more than if he had stuck to his original 500m won/ep given how well the show has done. This is a pretty common practice amongst many top stars isn’t it?

  • I agree with you, that he may have negotiated a percentage of the profit instead of being paid his full market rate, and it is a common practice by leading men in entertainment, especially when production doesn't have the initial budget to pay the lead actor outright.

    A lot of noise marketing is being made about KSH salary, but I'm more interested in what the lead actress is making and what the discrepancies is between their salaries. I bet production will keep mum on that in order not to start any controversies, but they are equally pulling their weights with this drama. She should be paid commensurate to his, even though not the same rate, but close, if life was fair.

• I think 800 million won is just rumor. 500 million won to 300 million won is make more sense. But this is not his first time cut off his fee for PJE, he did the same thing for "The Producer"

• Based on those figures, QOT would still have broken even/made a profit even if his fee was 800 million won per ep instead of 300 million, just a smaller profit of 3-4 billion won instead of 12 billion (unless promotional costs - which are not usually included in the production budget- were several billion won?)

  and based on the drama, he's absolutely worth his fee for the skills alone. Any other actors in the lead roles and I'd have quit in frustration after episode 14.

• I don’t know what he was really paid in the end, but whatever it was, it wasn’t enough because my god he has been breathtaking here.

  Still, I am thankful he took the cut to do this drama, believed in it enough to stick with it throughout the different changes made. This comeback was worth the 3yr wait and looking back, despite the incredible successes he’s already had, this is one of the best decisions of his career. Him and PJE make the best team and I give zero fs what anyone says. Looking forward to their eventual reunion in a few years. They bring the best out of each other and I’m glad to just be in for the ride.

  • Maybe KSH will work with KES soon is my guess. There was a popular few wks ago that got over 400 comments wanting it to happen. If it ever came to a choice I think KSH would still pick PJE over KES really. He seems to trust her immensely and he seems like very loyal type.

    I want him in a sageuk so I am ok with either or anyone who writes a great enough one for him haha.

    • Oh KES? It’s a bit odd that she hasn’t worked with him yet given they have been top writer/ a-lister simultaneously for a long time. Interesting… And hmmm, I def buy the argument that if he can just do one, PJE would still be his obv choice. They’re close, but more than that, they bring out the best from each other. If he does work with KES, I hope it’s more of her serious fares like Mr Sunshine/The Glory. Her rom coms are pretty hit and miss to me. I haven’t seen Glory but heard great things about it at least.

• It goes to show that you can't really demand that much $. Production would be scared to hired you. I suppose he could afford it not to do so much project.

• There’s a “refund KSH” drive amongst netizens
  LOL
  I have to concur - but he’s going to earn it back in the many endorsements that will come I’m sure
  Plus I have a feeling it will take him a while to come back to rom com - he often interchanges his projects and we can get the next 1-2 won’t be the same.
  Honestly I’m ok with that - he NEEDS to do another saeguk honestly! Do a big budget one - It will be a blast.

  • More than anything I want a break from romance dramas. I m sorry. I NEED a break from shippers. Looks like he can’t catch a break from
    Rabid shippers.
    I will more than happy with dramas/movies with no love lines for few of his upcoming projects.

    • Based on your ID, I can understand why you want him to catch a break from shippers. Hard to compete with the current shippers.

    • @Sissy , I can’t see a reply button on ur post do posting here. I don’t know why you mention based on my id why I would hate shippers? What does mm stand for? I don’t have a username or id here. I just give name, email while posting and too lazy to think of a name. My name starts with m do I write mm , mp whatever makes it easy.
      But I have it a thought as to what u meant.. do u mean IOTNbO couple as mm perhaps?
      Then let me tell you I didn’t think I could hate any shippers more than that show shippers. But the present shippers r almost there.

  • Agreed on the sageuk! Yes please so much. Or a period drama. He looks practically locked in for Knock Off, so after that a sageuk would be amazing. Personally, I prefer an epic romance sageuk in the lines of My Dearest or Princess Man - the PD of this drama is actually the Knock Off PD too. But anyway high time for him to get back to his period garb. It’s been forever!

  • Everyone wants him to do a sageuk! Ah, I wish he doesnt accept the new drama and does a sageuk instead. I am ok to wait longer for him too if there are no good scripted sageuks in the market. His fans are patient.

    Lee Hwon is legendary even if he was so young when he played him. KSH today, ah, I cant imagine how charismatic he would be really. I feel tingly even only thinking about it

• Anyone seen the latest bts video? The way Hyun Woo’s knees gave up after the car crash scene was Soo Hyun’s idea. He asked Ji Won if she would be comfortable if he collapsed and kneeled beside her and she was okay with it. That scene wouldn’t be nearly as powerful if he had just hugged her and cried in relief. Also the “she’s not like that to me” in Episode 9 was an adlib when Hae In smacked her brother for wanting bottle water. He is a brilliant actor and worth very million won he is getting.

  • I just commented on that!! He is crazy good?? I feel I wasted my older teen years not being a huge KSH fan. I missed living in that hype bubble but at least there is now and i am experiencing it so i am thankful

• He is amongst the most career savvy actors in the industry. He picks a variety of different roles, has no qualms about squashing his “cool” image. He doesn’t mind working with new writers if he believes in their scripts. In fact, Park JiEun herself was just weekend drama writer before Kim SoonHyun decided to do a rom com with her. He was the biggest name in the industry back then too, winning a Baeksang and coming off a massive 40%+ rated drama, debut movie selling over 11M tickets, then leading a movie by himself with 8M tickets.

  Kim SooHyun must’ve truly wanted to play Baek HyunWoo to allow such a large cut. Or… he knew it would be a huge drama and that he can make that difference easily with CFs alone. Or… he is very close with the writer and loyal too. Whatever the case, he is a smart cookie who knows how to handle his career. He has been at the top since 2012 with hardly any blips to speak of. He even took an almost 5 year break for bowling and military LOL. And it impacted Kim SooHyun absolutely not which in hindsight is rather incredible.