Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
8 suggestions available
Watchlist
Sign in
Sign in
New customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Throne

Original title: Sado
  • 2015
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
Song Kang-ho and Yoo Ah-in in The Throne (2015)
DramaHistory

Set in 18th century Korea, long-ruling King Yeongjo's struggle with his son, Sado, sees the king take extreme measures in order to deal with his heir.Set in 18th century Korea, long-ruling King Yeongjo's struggle with his son, Sado, sees the king take extreme measures in order to deal with his heir.Set in 18th century Korea, long-ruling King Yeongjo's struggle with his son, Sado, sees the king take extreme measures in order to deal with his heir.

  • Director
    • Lee Joon-ik
  • Writers
    • Cheol-Hyeon Jo
    • Song-won Lee
    • Sung Hyeon Oh
  • Stars
    • Song Kang-ho
    • Yoo Ah-in
    • Moon Geun-young
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    3.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Lee Joon-ik
    • Writers
      • Cheol-Hyeon Jo
      • Song-won Lee
      • Sung Hyeon Oh
    • Stars
      • Song Kang-ho
      • Yoo Ah-in
      • Moon Geun-young
    STREAMING
    Watch on Prime Video
    Watch on Tubi
    RENT/BUY
    Watch on Prime Video
    from $0.99
    • 21User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 28 wins & 47 nominations total

    Photos87

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 81
    View Poster

    Top cast15

    Edit
    Song Kang-ho
    Song Kang-ho
    • King Yeongjo
    Yoo Ah-in
    Yoo Ah-in
    • Crown Prince Sado
    Moon Geun-young
    Moon Geun-young
    • Lady Hyegyeong
    Kim Hae-sook
    Kim Hae-sook
    • Queen Inwon
    Park Won-sang
    Park Won-sang
    • Hong Bong-han
    Lee Dae-yeon
    Lee Dae-yeon
    • Kim Sang-ro
    Jeon Hye-jin
    Jeon Hye-jin
    • Yeong-bin
    Lee Hyun-Jung
    • Wife of Crown Prince
    Jin Ji-hee
    Jin Ji-hee
    • Princess Hwawan
    So Ji-seob
    So Ji-seob
    • King Jeongjo
    Eom Ji-seong
    • Crown Prince Sado (young)
    Seong-hae Kang
    Park So-dam
    Park So-dam
    • Lady Moon
    Jung Suk-yong
    Jung Suk-yong
    • Eunuch Hong
    Seo Ye-ji
    Seo Ye-ji
    • Queen Jeongsun
    • Director
      • Lee Joon-ik
    • Writers
      • Cheol-Hyeon Jo
      • Song-won Lee
      • Sung Hyeon Oh
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews21

    7.13.3K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    9tasnemhako

    Heart breaking

    Yoo ah in performance shredded my heart into a thousand peice. He a true artist and deserves all the respect in the world. The throne is about a father-son relationship that got ruined because of politics and royal blood. After reading about prince sado, the events of the movie were 100% accurate BUT it didn't include everything in order for us as the viewers to feel compassion and sympathy for prince sado, the movie didn't include alot of his wrong doings (killings/rape/violence ) that were recorded by his wife (one of his wives to be more accurate).
    7myartniki

    Great learning from the King and the Prince story

    Maybe, 40 minutes in the beginning little bit boring and slow, but must to watch until the end. I love how the plot told back-forward story, just watch the King's beard if you got confused hehe. This is drama of father and his son in the palace. The message that we can took from this movie is even though we don't believe to anyone, even as a King, please be nice to your own child.
    8fourbyfour-72864

    Fathers and Sons

    Superb acting, beautiful costuming, elaborate sets, and engrossing locations mark this powerful tale of the strained relationships that exist between all fathers and their sons.

    Over a period of eight days, an 18th. century Korean king punishes his only son for attempted regicide. Flashbacks reveal the chain of events that led the son to rebel against his father while the women and courtiers who love them both struggle to deal with the growing conflict.

    What works for The Throne is that the movie evinces a common family psychological dynamic that exists between almost all fathers and their sons, but the dynamic is amplified by the fact that the family in question is a royal family and the stakes are higher. As all fathers struggle to challenge and build their sons without breaking them and as all sons endeavor to prove themselves and earn their fathers' seemingly unattainable respect, The Throne shows us how severe that dynamic can be when the fate of an entire country is at stake.

    There is something for everyone in The Throne as fathers and sons might learn something about the other side's feelings and motivations while other family members and friends can relate to the helpless frustration of watching their loved ones fight each other.

    With all of that psychoanalysis stated, The Throne also delivers exceptionally well for viewers who enjoy lavish costume dramas about royal families and their courtiers and/or period pieces about Asian history and culture. In summary, The Throne is excellent story telling.
    10Richard-Palace-248-37158

    'How dignified is the arrow which flies so freely' A review of Sado (The Throne)

    I walked into this film, with the extent of my knowledge being the drawn portraits of Prince Sado and King Yeongjo floating around google images. By the time I left the cinema, I felt I've become close companions with these men.

    There is a tragically mesmerizing direction Lee Joon Ik accomplishes in his intimate insight into the Royal family. It is difficult to project the arduous politics of the kingdom in a way which doesn't diminish the drama, but heightens its emotional punch. Believe me, it's quite a punch. A series of flashbacks investigates how the relationship between King Yeongjo and his son, Crown Prince Sado deteriorates. Essentially showing how a once proud father can condemn his son to a brutal punishment. It's a wonderful piece of film editing, gripping the viewers to a claustrophobic degree as we witness Sado's sufferings, while never losing interest in the family's origins whenever the film jumps back a few years or so.

    Perhaps, the greatest element of this film is undoubtedly it's ability to depict deceased historical figures with a brooding complexity and vibrance. Particularly, Yoo Ah In's portrayal of Sado is captivating in its depiction of the man's compassion, thirst for freedom and his eventual conflicted psyche. Never is there once a hint of a stereotypical, one dimensional, cold blooded lunatic. No. This is an incredible portrayal of a human being, as these historical figures were.

    The inability to emphasize with and encourage others is a fault exposed here. This is how the film transcends from a dramatic period piece to a work of art which deeply resonates in families caught in strife. It truly is an absorbing insight into life between the palace walls during the height of familial tension, boasting an emotional prowess that would tingle within you for some time. A masterpiece has been extracted from this segment of history.
    10fonzichrist

    Excellent storytelling and faithful to history

    I have nothing bad to say about the storytelling. In the last 20 minutes of the film, I cried like I never did before while watching a movie. The last time I cried while watching a movie was with The Road Home (Zang Ziyi). It's very painful. A father forced to wait for the death of his son for a week. It must have been very painful for both the father and the son.

    On the other hand, this film is not only true to history. It is also authentic and realistic. This is the first Korean period piece that presents the royal family like those in the paintings. The king, queen, and his concubines are not good looking. They look like real people contrary to those sageuk we used to watch where lead stars are all dolled up. The prosthetics of the elder monarchs show reality of old age. I appreciate this aspect of the film.

    When I watched period dramas that present the early like of King Yeongjo, I really thought that he would be both a great father and king. I mean, King Sukjong was a great father and Suk-bin Choi was a caring mother for Pri NBC e Yeoning-gun (Yeongjo). But perhaps being a child prodigy himself, King Yeongjo expected too much from his court especially from his heir. He became a disciplinarian parent and king. His knowledge of Confucian teachings dis not help him become a good father. He never appreciated his son on his achievements. He berated him for his mistakes. All sons, princes or commoners, need love from their parents. I don't believe that a royal family is different from any other family when expressing love and care for children. This film tells us that too much adherence to rules dehumanizes a person. A son longing for a father's warmth developed depression. And a father knowing his son is already losing mind isolated himself even more from his son. Tragic.

    More like this

    The Face Reader
    6.8
    The Face Reader
    The King's Letters
    6.4
    The King's Letters
    Miss Granny
    6.5
    Miss Granny
    Masquerade
    7.8
    Masquerade
    Seoul Searching
    6.9
    Seoul Searching
    The Attorney
    7.7
    The Attorney
    The King and the Clown
    7.3
    The King and the Clown
    The Fortress
    6.8
    The Fortress
    Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet
    7.2
    Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet
    Assassination
    7.2
    Assassination
    Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island
    6.2
    Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island
    The Book of Fish
    7.5
    The Book of Fish

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Yoo Ah-in genuinely bashed his head against the flagstones of the palace courtyard; the blood was his own.
    • Quotes

      King Yeongjo: [leaning against the rice chest his dead son is locked in, weeping] You... my silly boy... Why did you have to... commit this atrocity?

    • Soundtracks
      As Flowers Bloom And Fall
      Performed by Cho Seung-woo

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ16

    • How long is The Throne?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 16, 2015 (South Korea)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Language
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • Sado, el príncipe heredero fracasado
    • Filming locations
      • Seoul, South Korea
    • Production company
      • Tiger Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $42,165,755
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Song Kang-ho and Yoo Ah-in in The Throne (2015)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Throne (2015) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Poster
    List
    IMDb Summer Watch Guide
    Browse the guide
    Production art
    Photos
    Before They Were Famous: Actors' Early Roles
    See the gallery
    Poster
    List
    Most Anticipated Indian Movies: July-December 2025
    See the list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.