K-stars & K-content’s Influence On Netflix Success: From Bae Doo-na To “Gyeongseong Creature”
K-stars and K-content have contributed greatly to the popularity of Netflix productions. It is easy to find Korean dramas ranking high in the worldwide chart of this OTT platform. In addition, more and more Korean actors are getting cast for leading roles in Netflix original series.
Among the successful K-content on Netflix, “My Demon”, starring Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung, ranked No.4 in the non-English TV series category of Netflix’s Global TOP10, according to the chart release on January 10th.
This fantasy romantic comedy is about devilish heiress Do Do-hee (Kim Yoo-jung) and Jung Goo-won (Song Kang), a demon who temporarily loses his power, getting married under contract. Despite getting mixed responses from Korean viewers due to its cartoon-like story as a webtoon-based drama, the drama is very well-received overseas.
The highest rank that “My Demon” achieved on Netflix was second place. It recorded 3 million views in the first week and surpassed 5.4 million views in the second week. From the sixth week until now (the seventh week), the views remained stable at around 2.8 million views.
Starring Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, “Gyeongseong Creature” rose to third place in Netflix’s Global TOP 10 (non-English TV series) in only three days after releasing Part 1. Since then, the drama has performed very well as it entered TOP10 in 69 countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Singapore, Thailand, etc. Part 2 was released on January 5th and global viewers are expressing high expectations for Season 2.
Created with a large budget of 70 billion won, “Gyeongseong Creature” depicts two young people confronting the monster born out of greed to survive in the Spring of 1945, the darkest time. The drama was highly anticipated as a collaboration between “Dr. Romantic” writer Kang Eun-kyung and “Hot Stove League” director Jung Dong-yoon. Besides, the big overseas fandoms of star actors Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee also seem to have had a great impact on the success of this drama.
In the meantime, the number of Korean actors playing leading roles in Netflix original content is also increasing significantly.
Bae Doo-na’s participation in Zack Snyder’s movie “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire”, which premiered on the 22nd of last month, is an example. Having appeared in many Hollywood projects before, Bae Doo-na once again showcased impressive acting in this movie. In “Rebel Moon”, she amazed viewers with her two-handed sword skills but combining various techniques. The actress captivated viewers at once when she showed up wearing a black hat reminiscent of a Korean costume.
In addition, Kim Yoon-ji recently became a hot topic as she proudly put her name on the main cast of the American drama “Lift”, which was released on Netflix on January 12th. Kim Yoon-ji portrayed Mi-sun, a hacker and member of Cyrus’s crew. Taking on a major role without exaggeration and cultural prejudice against Asian actors, the actress successfully proved the status of Korean actor and K-content.
In this regard, an official in the Korean film industry said, “Within just a few years, there has been a 180-degree change in the overseas markets’ perceptions of Korean culture”, adding, “Nowadays, when it comes to Korean culture, the comments are mostly compliments saying it’s amazing and trendy. More and more Korean actors have gained big fandoms overseas. From the viewpoint of Netflix, which always searches for new stories and stars, Korean actors and K-content can guarantee unimaginable success.”
Source: Naver
