A growing range of Thai, Japanese and Chinese-language films and TV shows are reaching global audiences – joining the by-now well-established international viewership for South Korean shows.
Netflix’s Global Top 10 for the week April 3-9, sees made-for-streaming Korean title “Kill Boksoon” on top of the non-English-language films list, with 27.5 million hours watched in its second week of release.
It is immediately followed by Thai film “Hunger,” about a young woman apprentice in an upmarket restaurant working under a tough boss. The film is directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri and stars “Bad Genius” breakout Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying.
Related Stories
Indian mid-air heist thriller “Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga” claims fourth spot in the chart. (India has had a film in the non-English top 10 every week in 2023 so far.)
Popular on Variety
In the non-English series rankings Korean revenge drama “The Glory” returned to the number one position in its tenth week of release. Its endurance makes it now the streamer’s fifth most-viewed non-English series of all time.
“Copycat Killer,” in second place, becomes the first Taiwanese-produced show to crack Netflix’s weekly top ten. Adapted from a Japanese novel, the series tracks a sadistic killer who also enjoys manipulating the media.
Japanese-produced series “From Me To You: Kimi Ni Todoke,” a live-action adaptation of a Shiina Karuho manga, ranked ninth globally in its second week, up from tenth on its debut.
Korea’s “Divorce Attorney Shin,” in fifth spot in its second week, and “Crash Course in Romance,” in sixth spot in its tenth week, also make the latest series chart.
Also from the Asia Pacific, Australian drama series “Wellmania” holds at seventh spot in the global English-language TV category for a second week.
“We’ve seen more shows and films from APAC reaching our Global Top 10 lists over the past year, and it’s particularly encouraging to see this variety of content from across the region,” Minyoung Kim, VP of content, Netflix APAC, told Variety.
“This week’s list includes APAC titles that span genres from lifestyle comedy to serial killers, and the languages ranging from Thai to Chinese to Korean. We know authentic local stories have the power to transcend borders and cultures, and it’s great to see this happening with global audiences embracing titles across our slate.”
Last year, films from APAC ranked in the non-English top 10 in all but one week, with some 80 Asian titles making the chart at some stage in 2022.
The series have done even better. Since the beginning of 2023 at least three Korean titles have been in top 10 non-English lists every week, with as many as six appearing the week of Feb. 19. Three of the top five all-time non-English series on the platform are from Korea “Squid Game” (#1), “All of Us Are Dead” (#4), and “The Glory” with “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” in seventh.
