Squid Gamechanged the game forNetflix, big time. When the first season was released in 2021, it instantly became an international sensation, popular both among Korean-speaking viewers and people across the globe watching it subtitled or dubbed in their own language. The series was also nominated for multiple Emmys.
Squid Gameled to an increased interest in K-dramas on a global level, and Netflix made sure to capitalize on that audience trend. Earlier this year, the platform announced that it would be releasing 29 new K-drama titles, which would span both television and movies.
This has already proven to be a huge win for the platform.K-drama serieshave done especially well, with shows likeWhen Life Gives You TangerinesandWeak Hero Class 2becoming big streaming hits.Squid Gameseason 3 also came out this year, which pulled decent numbers, but was not as well-liked as previous seasons.
Some of Netflix’s newer Korean-language content includes actors fromSquid Game. Now, one such title is doing well on streaming.
Wall To Wall Is Now The No. 1 Non-English Movie In Netflix’s Charts
Wall to Wallis now a Netflix hit. The movie is a thriller about Woo-seong, who works tirelessly to save up money for an apartment, but when he finally does so, he discovers things are not what they seem. The film featuresSquid Game’s Kang Ha-neul in the lead role, with another star, Kang Ae-sim, in a supporting role.
Wall to Wallhas gotten mixed reviews so far, holding a 56% Tomatometer among critics with 16 reviews. Audiences liked it a little better, but its Popcornmeter is still fairly split at 64%.
As perNetflix,Wall to Wallhas now becomethe no. 1 non-English-language film for the week of July 21 to July 27.It received 7.8 million views to achieve this status. This is as many views as the no. 4 film on the English-language chart, and more than the rest of said chart.
Its biggest regional successes came from Asian countries.Wall to Wallwasthe no. 1 film in Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.It was also the no. 1 film in Morocco. It ranked in the top 10 in its country of origin, South Korea. It did not make it into the top 10 in the United States or Canada.
What This Means For Netflix
Wall to Wall’s hit status is likely attributable to theSquid Gameconnection. Those who saw Kang Ha-neul play Dae-ho inSquid Gameseasons 2 and 3 might have been interested to see what he was up to next.
That said, it is critical to note thatWall to Walldid not have as uniform international success as some of Netflix’s non-English-language titles have in the past. The movie still struggled to make a notable impact in North America. Netflix K-dramas likeSquid Gamemay be more universal hits, but the platform will have to figure out a broader publicity strategy if it wants its films to garner the same international success.
