Squid Game changed the game for Netflix, 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 subтιтled or dubbed in their own language. The series was also nominated for multiple Emmys.
Squid Game led 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 тιтles, which would span both television and movies.
This has already proven to be a huge win for the platform. K-drama series have done especially well, with shows like When Life Gives You Tangerines and Weak Hero Class 2 becoming big streaming hits. Squid Game season 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 from Squid Game. Now, one such тιтle is doing well on streaming.
Wall To Wall Is Now The No. 1 Non-English Movie In Netflix’s Charts
Wall to Wall is 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 features Squid Game‘s Kang Ha-neul in the lead role, with another star, Kang Ae-sim, in a supporting role.
Wall to Wall has 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 per Netflix, Wall to Wall has now become the 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 Wall was the 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 the Squid Game connection. Those who saw Kang Ha-neul play Dae-ho in Squid Game seasons 2 and 3 might have been interested to see what he was up to next.
That said, it is critical to note that Wall to Wall did not have as uniform international success as some of Netflix’s non-English-language тιтles have in the past. The movie still struggled to make a notable impact in North America. Netflix K-dramas like Squid Game may 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.
Source: Netflix