Kim Go-eun’s drama “Little Women” hit the jackpot but its production company gained a loss. Why?
tvN’s drama “Little Women” recently ended with its last episode aired on October 9th.
It became a hot topic even before its official broadcast as a work created by screenwriter Chung Seo-kyung, who wrote the movies “Decision to Leave” and “Lady Vengeance”. Expectations for the drama were also high because of its Avenger-class production team consisting of a splendid cast lineup of trustworthy actors Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun, Choo Ja-hyun, Um Ji-won, Um Ki-joon, “Vincenzo” director Kim Hee-won, and “Beyond Evil” camera director Ryu Sung-hee.
There was a lot of “food” at such a popular party. The viewers actually cheered for a brutal fairytale-like story surrounding 70 billion won. Until episode 11, “Little Women” still led the rating charts of dramas on cable channels of the same broadcasting timeslot with its highest viewer rating peak of 9.7% (episode 10). Its popularity was also hot overseas. According to Flix Patrol on October 8th, “Little Women” ranked 8th on Netflix Worldwide TV Show Ranking and dominated 1st place in Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan. In Vietnam, the drama also stayed at the No.1 position until it was was removed from Netflix Vietnam due to controversy over distorting the Vietnam War.
Many lines that penetrate reality have become hot topics on SNS. In particular, the line “Why would people try to become Seoul mayor and President? I realized that authority is the key to every business” reminded many people of the movie “Asura”. It also persistently dug into the distorted view on poverty. The line “Did you grow up as a poor person? That’s because you’re so patient” is very typical.
What about the stock price of Studio Dragon, the production company of the hit drama “Little Women”? It was a complete failure. The company’s stock price witnessed a plunge of 6% on October 7th, breaking the new lowest point after 52 weeks. After soaring to 95,000 won at the beginning of this year, Studio Dragon’s stock price already fell to 63,200 won. Many people thought the stock price would rebound after surpassing 80,000 won in August, it soon collapsed and went downhill.
The recent decline is attributed to the prediction that the company’s third-quarter earnings will fall below the stock market’s expectations. According to Samsung Securities, Studio Dragon’s operating profit in the 3rd quarter is expected to be 18.4 billion won, which is below the average price of 21 billion won presumed by stock firms. The reason is that the profits of some works, such as “Big Mouth”, are not reflected in this. This is also why 2 out of 5 securities firms that released reports this month lowered their target stock prices.
However, there is a common opinion among securities firms that the decline in profitability will be only a short-term negative factor and they expect good performance in the 4th quarter of this year. This is because a large number of original contents, such as “The Glory”, “Shadow Detective”, and “Connect”, will be released through global online video services (OTT). In addition, “The Big Door Prize”, an overseas production, will also be reflected in the performance of the 4th quarter. Researcher Choi Min-ha at Samsung Securities said, “Considering the content compilation and good delivery schedules that have been fixed and the delayed revenue recognition, operating profit in the 4th quarter will be 21.5 billion won, up 238% from the previous year”.
On the poster for “Little Women”, there is the phrase “From the lowest and darkest place to the highest and brightest position”. Studio Dragon shares are also passing through the lowest and darkest point this year. Will they be able to climb to the highest and brightest point at the end of the year?
Source: Daum
