“The Remarried Empress” Becomes The Most Viewed Local Original Premiere Of All Time On Disney+
Earlier this week, Disney released the first four episodes of a brand new original drama series from Korea called “The Remarried Empress” on Disney+ around the world.
Based on the hit NAVER WEBTOON of the same name, “The Remarried Empress” follows the strained relationship between beloved Empress Navier and her husband, Emperor Sovieshu of the Eastern Empire. With anxieties rising across the land, the couple’s relationship begins to fracture when Sovieshu falls in love with a runaway slave and attempts to move heaven and earth to win her heart. Unwilling to compromise her dignity, Navier acquiesces to the emperor’s request on one condition – that she be allowed to remarry rival Crown Prince Heinrey of the Western Kingdom. What follows is a tale of love, lust and regret that threatens the fate of an entire empire as Navier strives to reclaim her power.
Disney has announced that the show has already become a “Global Triumph” by becoming the number one Korean title premiere in over 5o countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The show has become the most-viewed local original premiere of all time on Disney+ and Hulu globally, based on 3 days of views following its launch on November 3rd 2026.
To build buzz for the launch, the first four episodes were released on Disney+ a day early, which helped drive more social media awareness.
Starring Shin Mina (Karma, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) as Empress Navier, Ju Jihoon (Light Shop, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call) as Emperor Sovieshu, Lee Jongsuk (Big Mouth) as Crown Prince Heinrey and Lee Seyoung (The Red Sleeve, The Crowned Clown) as escaped-slave Rashta, “The Remarried Empress “has been adapted for the screen by Yeoh Geena and Hyun Choongyeol and is directed by Cho Suwon (Still 17, Pinocchio).
The first four episodes of “The Remarried Empress” are now available to stream on Disney+, with two new episodes dropping every Wednesday from November 11th 2026, through the series finale on November 25th 2026, exclusively on Hulu and Disney+ worldwide.
Roger’s Take: This doesn’t come as a huge surprise to me that “The Remarried Empress” has had a strong debut on Disney+, as they’ve been heavily promoting this across Disney+ and social media platforms. It also highlights the importance of international originals and giving audiences around the world more unique stories.
Did you check out “The Remarried Empress”? Let me know on social media!
