Will Park Eun-bin surpass Han So-hee and become an actress with a guarantee of 300 million won per episode?
After the conclusion of tvN’s “Castaway Diva“, Park Eun-bin is in the final stages of negotiations as a candidate for the lead role in the 8-episode OTT drama “Hyper Knife” without taking a break. It’s her first villain role since her debut, and the anticipation is heightened as her co-star is set to be Sol Kyung-gu.
The two actors agreed to start filming at the end of March after reviewing the script up to episode 4, and they are currently in the final stages of negotiating appearance fees. The amount proposed by Park Eun-bin’s agency Namoo Actors is 300 million won per episode. The production company Blaad Studios and Disney+ are busy tapping the calculator. It’s highly likely that the fee will be decided between 250 million and 300 million won.
Regarding this, the representative of a drama production company said, “It’s a reasonable amount that Park Eun-bin can receive. As her popularity and purchasing power have increased not only in Southeast Asia but also in Japan and North America due to the success of ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’, it could be a win-win situation for both parties.”
Park Eun-bin is currently the only actress in Korea who can sell out fan meetings overseas, and it’s interpreted that this will eventually become a profitable venture for Disney+ as well. As she serves as a catalyst for attracting new OTT subscribers and overseas sales, it’s explained that applying a multiplier to Park Eun-bin is reasonable. However, it’s realism that appearance fees should ultimately be left to the market’s function.
On the other hand, some small and medium-sized production companies and domestic OTT platforms express concerns. While Park Eun-bin received 160 million won per episode for “Castaway Diva”, they argue that a sudden 100% increase is excessive.
An executive from a drama production company pointed out, “As the previous work was successful, it’s customary to increase the fee for the next work by about 1.2~1.3 times, but doubling it at once is excessive.”
There are also concerns that after the main actors take away 20~30% of the production budget, it becomes difficult to recruit supporting actors for subplots and high-quality staff, ultimately leading to a deterioration in the quality of the drama. Despite “Castaway Diva” having the best director, writers and actors, it couldn’t achieve double-digit ratings, which was also the reason why they had to be satisfied with half of the success.
A drama producer from Studio S said, “Han So-hee reportedly received 200 million won per episode for ‘Gyeongseong Creature’, so I’m curious whether Park Eun-bin will surpass Han So-hee and rise to the top tier.”
Source: Daum
