SBS 'Haunted Palace' has shown remarkable box office success, achieving double-digit viewership ratings in its first week of broadcasting and dominating both domestic and international OTT platforms.
The SBS 'Haunted Palace,' a fantasy historical drama highlighted as uniquely presented by the drama kingdom SBS in 2025, features Yeori, a shaman rejecting her fate, and the Imugi Gangcheol, trapped in the body of her first love, Yoon Gab, as they encounter the vengeful Palcheokwi, resulting in a chaotic struggle between body and soul in this physical competition fantasy romantic comedy.
The fascinating material of the story about the Imugi and the shaman, the captivating character performances from actors such as Yook Sungjae (playing Imugi Gangcheol/Yoon Gab), Kim Jiyeon (playing Yeori), and Kim Jihoon (playing Lee Jeong), as well as the intriguing court mystery and the chilling presence of K-monsters, have all succeeded in generating a strong positive response since the first broadcast.
'Haunted Palace' recorded a peak viewership rating of 10.7% based on the first episode, achieving double-digit viewership ratings right from the start and astonishing audiences. It also surpassed 'Love Scout' and 'Buried Hearts' with 9.2% in the metropolitan area and nationally, breaking the record for the highest viewership ratings for a SBS drama that aired in 2025. Furthermore, it maintained the top spot in viewership ratings during its broadcast time, successfully gaining the upper hand amid the fierce competition of new releases saturating April. (Based on Nielsen Korea)
The OTT popularity is also overwhelming. 'Haunted Palace' showcased its power by quickly climbing to the top spot of the 'Top 10 Series in Korea Today' right after its release on Netflix, surpassing outstanding competitors. Additionally, it achieved first place in the TV series category in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, firmly laying the groundwork for a global sensation. (Based on FlixPatrol, April 21, 2025) Moreover, in the trend ranking compiled by KinoRights, an integrated search and content recommendation platform for domestic OTT, 'Haunted Palace' claimed the overall top position, sweeping all box office charts. (Based on April 19, 2025)
Meanwhile, in the second episode of 'Haunted Palace,' the humorous adaptation of Imugi Gangcheol, who came to live in a human body for the first time in a thousand years, played out, while Yeori struggled to hear the voice of Yoon Gab's spirit within the palace and search for his soul. Along with this, it was revealed that the unexplained madness of Woonja (played by Park Jaejoon) was the doing of the horrific ghost, the Palcheokwi, and that Yoon Gab's spirit had already been consumed by the Palcheokwi, suggesting an impending fierce confrontation between Gangcheol, Yeori, and the Palcheokwi. Thus, the box office success of 'Haunted Palace,' which began stirring the winds from the outset of the narrative, attracts attention to how far its success will stretch.
Meanwhile, SBS's weekend drama 'Haunted Palace,' which has claimed both the viewership ratings and OTT ratings, will air its third episode on the 25th (Friday) at 9:50 p.m.
[Photo] Provided by SBS 'Haunted Palace'
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