'The Remarried Empress' becomes most-viewed local premiere on Disney+, Hulu

The Remarried Empress has become the most-viewed local original premiere ever on Disney+ and Hulu globally, The Walt Disney Company said in a statement on Friday.

The Korean romantic epic ranks as the number one Korean title premiere in more than 50 markets, including the US, the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The series launched on Nov. 3, a day ahead of its originally scheduled Nov. 4 premiere, which the company said was a thank-you to fans for their support.

The company pointed to strong interest before the launch, including sold-out preview screenings at the Busan International Film Festival.

It also cited 13 million views in the first 48 hours after the payoff trailer appeared on YouTube and social media platforms, and nearly 3 billion views of the original webtoon since it was first released.

The story follows Empress Navier, whose husband, Emperor Sovieshu, seeks a divorce so he can marry a runaway slave he has fallen in love with, the company said.

Navier agrees on one condition, that she be allowed to remarry Crown Prince Heinrey of the Western Kingdom, and she then works to reclaim her power, the company said.

Shin Mina stars as Empress Navier, Ju Jihoon as Emperor Sovieshu, Lee Jongsuk as Crown Prince Heinrey and Lee Seyoung as the escaped slave Rashta.

The series was adapted for the screen by Yeoh Geena and Hyun Choongyeol and is directed by Cho Suwon.

Four episodes are available to stream now, and two new episodes will be released every Wednesday from Nov. 11 through the series finale on Nov. 25, exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu.

The Remarried Empress is based on a NAVER WEBTOON of the same name, a digital comic platform popular in South Korea.