Disney+ and Hulu have given “The Remarried Empress” an unexpected head start, releasing the Korean romance series’ first four episodes one day before its planned Nov. 4 premiere.
The early arrival follows two major signs of audience interest. Preview screenings at the Busan International Film Festival sold out, while the show’s trailer generated more than 13 million views across YouTube and social media platforms during its first 48 hours. Producer Webtoon Entertainment subsequently worked with Disney+ and Hulu to bring the adaptation to viewers sooner.
The move puts an especially bright spotlight on a property that already has an enormous online following. Webtoon Entertainment president Yongsoo Kim told Variety at New York Comic Con last month that “The Remarried Empress” has accumulated almost 3 billion page views worldwide.
Based on the successful Naver Webtoon, the series centers on Navier, played by Shin Mina, the widely admired empress of the Eastern Empire. Her marriage to Emperor Sovieshu, portrayed by Ju Jihoon, begins to fall apart as anxiety spreads across their land.
Sovieshu falls for Rashta, a runaway slave played by Lee Seyoung, and becomes determined to win her heart. When the emperor asks for a divorce, Navier agrees without surrendering her dignity—but sets a striking condition: She must be permitted to marry Crown Prince Heinrey, played by Lee Jongsuk, of the rival Western Kingdom.
A Major Test for Webtoon Entertainment
The surprise release carries significance beyond a single streaming premiere. Webtoon Entertainment began as a digital comic and webnovel platform and is now seeking a larger foothold in Hollywood after adaptations of its properties found success in South Korea and internationally.
Kim said the company has already worked on Korean-produced video adaptations distributed globally through streaming services including Netflix and Disney. Its next push includes English-language, Hollywood-based productions drawn from Webtoon intellectual property.
“The Remarried Empress” is also expanding beyond its current live-action series. An anime adaptation is set up with Crunchyroll, which is adapting two other popular Webtoon titles.
Additional television and film projects based on Webtoon properties include “Lore Olympus,” “The Mafia Nanny,” “Chasing Red,” “Stagtown” and “Death of a Pop Star.” Kim said the animated “Lore Olympus” series is being made with Amazon MGM Studios for Prime and is coming soon.
“The Mafia Nanny,” meanwhile, is in development at Hulu as a live-action project, with Charlize Theron serving as an executive producer. Kim said he believes such productions could help U.S. audiences see Webtoon as a foundation for Hollywood-based live-action and animated storytelling rather than only Asian-based content.
The company’s recent adaptation record also includes several Netflix projects. The second season of “Bloodhounds” debuted in April and remained among Netflix’s top 10 non-English-language series for two weeks. Other recent titles include “Chicken Nugget” and “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.”
Webtoon was also behind 2025’s “My Daughter Is a Zombie,” which became the highest-grossing Korean film released that year and the highest-grossing comedy in the country’s history.
Over the past two years, Webtoon Entertainment has announced content deals with publishers and creators including Disney, Paramount, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse Comics and Dropout.
ShowBiz Take
Releasing four episodes early is a confident play backed by measurable interest: sold-out festival previews, more than 13 million trailer views in 48 hours and nearly 3 billion page views for the underlying property. It also makes “The Remarried Empress” a visible part of Webtoon Entertainment’s broader effort to move its stories from digital publishing into globally distributed television, film and animation.
For Webtoon, adaptations are also a way to introduce the platform to people who may not already know its comics and webnovels. Kim described globally successful Netflix and Disney+ projects as an important tool for leading viewers back to Webtoon and widening the company’s audience.
What Happens Next?
The first four episodes of “The Remarried Empress” are now available on Disney+ and Hulu. Beyond the current series, the property’s planned Crunchyroll anime gives the story another route to audiences, while “Lore Olympus,” “The Mafia Nanny” and Webtoon’s other announced adaptations will continue the company’s push into Hollywood-based productions.