The drama “Queen of Tears,” a mega-hit work by Studio Dragon in the first half of the year, continues to show strong performance in related businesses even six months after its conclusion, thanks to its popularity. Riding the wave of immense popularity in Japan, Studio Dragon will open an encore pop-up store for “Queen of Tears” in Tokyo on November 1st, with plans to also set up a pop-up store in Taiwan within the year. Following successful pop-up stores in Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, as well as Manila in the Philippines, Studio Dragon is expanding its reach further.
“Queen of Tears” ranks among the top 10 high-profit content within Studio Dragon’s over 260 intellectual properties (IPs). After achieving profits through pre-airing rights sales, it continues to perform well with merchandise pop-up stores and the OST business. Additionally, a recent remake rights contract in Turkey has been completed, and discussions on performances using the IP are underway, suggesting that profits from the series are expected to increase further.
The previous pop-up stores featured popular merchandise such as files, acrylic key rings, key holders, postcard sets, and tote bags. Props used in the drama, like the hairdryer Hyun Woo used to dry Hae In’s hair, the MP3 player where Hyun Woo and Hae In confirmed their destinies, and Hae In’s recording pen, were also exhibited, receiving warm responses from fans. A representative from Studio Dragon mentioned that due to the enthusiastic support from overseas fans, they have confirmed additional pop-up store schedules in Tokyo, and discussions on further supplementary businesses like performances are actively progressing. They plan to expand contact points with global audiences through a variety of ventures.
Meanwhile, “Queen of Tears,” which ended in April 2024 with the final episode garnering an average viewership rating of 24.9%, set a record for the highest viewership ratings on its broadcast channel, tvN. The series has been serviced worldwide through Netflix, achieving 29 million cumulative views and 682.6 million hours of viewing in the first half of the year, marking the highest viewership among K-dramas on Netflix during that period. It has also been nominated in the Best Direction and Best Screenplay categories at the Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA) in Singapore and in the Best Scriptwriting category at the Asian Television Awards, drawing attention to whether it will secure any wins.