‘Hellbound’ tops Netflix globally upon release

Netflix original TV series “Hellbound” made an outstanding start to rank 1st globally over the weekend just in a day after its release date. It is an impressively instant takeoff just in a day compared to global megahit “Squid Game” which took six days to reach the top of the global rankings after its release. Critics say that it is a testament to the power of K-dramas that has drawn global fans.

VOD charts and streaming ratings website FlixPatrol reported on Sunday that “Hellbound,” which was released at the same time across 190-plus countries on Friday, turned out to be the global no.1 streaming TV show in the world in 24 countries including South Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates as of Saturday. “Squid Game” climbed on top of the rankings on Sept. 23 six days after it was made available.

Ranking 2nd in France, Brazil and India and 3rd in the United States, Canada and Germany, “Hellbound” will claim the no. 1 title in many more countries very soon. Comparing it to “Squid Game” that has ranked 1st in 94 countries, many experts say that it is only a matter of time for the new hit TV series to break the record.

“I was nervous because I did not want to be a wet blanket as other K-dramas have recently been doing great,” Director Yeon Sang-ho of “Hellbound” said in an telephone interview with The Dong-A Ilbo on Sunday. “I worried if we may fail at topping the rankings but to my surprise, we made it even on the very first day.”


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com