Updated: December 6, 2021
The influence of Hallyu content continues to top the Netflix worldwide charts and ranking.
As of December 5 data analytics from Flix Patrol and Top 10 Netflix, here are the top ten most popular watched Korean movies and series on Netflix across the globe in 2021:
1. Squid Game: 52,544 points
Total hours viewed worldwide: 2,157,050,000 hours
No of weeks in Top 10 worldwide: 11 weeks (September 13 – November 28)
No. of countries: 90 countries
Highlights:
- Ranks #1 on Netflix worldwide in TV shows for the year 2021, followed by Lupin with 42,682 points
- Oman scored the highest points of views with 710 for 73 days, followed by Pakistan with 707 for 73 days.
- Remained on Top 10 for 10 weeks in 70 countries such as US, UK, UAE, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Poland, New Zealand, Japan to name a few.
- Highest hours viewed at 571,760,000 hours on its 3rd week.
Synopsis: Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games—with high stakes. But, a tempting prize awaits the victor.
Genre: Survival, thriller, drama
No of episodes: 9
Starring: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Wi Ha-joon, Oh Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Kim Joo-ryoung
Written and Directed by: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Original Network: Netflix
Budget: 21.4 million US dollars
2. Vincenzo: 20,111 points
No. of countries: 56 countries
Highlights:
- In Top 10 worldwide for 278 days with an average score of 72 points per day.
- Vietnam scored the highest points of views with 1,776 for 261 days, followed by Thailand with 1,560 for 259 days.
- Remained on Top 10 for 19-20 weeks in 4 countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Synopsis: Vincenzo Cassano is an Italian lawyer and Mafia consigliere who moves back to Korea due to a conflict within his organization. He ends up crossing paths with a sharp-tongued lawyer named Cha-young, and the two join forces in using villainous methods to take down villains who cannot be punished by the law.
Genre: Crime-drama, dark comedy
No of episodes: 20
Starring: Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taec-yeon, Yang Gyeong-won, Kwak Dong-yeon, Kim Yeo-jin, Jo Han-chul
Written by: Park Jae-bum
Directed by: Kim Hee-won
Original Network: TVN
Budget: 20 billion won (18 million US dollars)
3. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: 13,649 points
Total hours viewed worldwide: 271,820,000 hours
No of weeks in Top 10 worldwide: 13 weeks (August 30 – November 28)
No. of countries: 52 countries
Highlights:
- Malaysia scored the highest points of views with 856 for 93 days, followed by the Philippines with 841 for 93 days.
- Remained on Top 10 for 12-13 weeks in 13 countries: Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Quatar, Philippines, Maldives, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Hongkong, and Bangladesh.
- Highest hours viewed at 37,740,000 hours on its 7th week.
Synopsis: A big-city dentist opens up a practice in a close-knit seaside village, home to a charming jack-of-all-trades who is her polar opposite in every way.
Genre: Romantic-comedy, slice of life
No of episodes: 16
Starring: Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi, Lee Suk-hyeong, Jo Han-chul, In Gyo-jin, Lee Bong-ryeon
Written by: Shin Ha-eun
Directed by: Yu Je-won
Original Network: TVN
4. My Name: 9,668 points
Total hours viewed worldwide: 198,140,000 hours
No of weeks in Top 10 worldwide: 5 weeks (October 11 – November 13)
No. of countries: 84 countries
Highlights:
- Saudi Arabia scored the highest points of views with 401 for 46 days, followed by Indonesia with 381 for 46 days.
- Remained on Top 10 for 7 weeks in 7 countries: Vietnam, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hongkong
- Highest hours viewed at 84,530,000 hours on its 2nd week.
Synopsis: Following her father’s murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss — and enters the police force under his direction.
Genre: Action, thriller, crime, noir
No of episodes: 8
Starring: Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Hak-joo, Chang Ryul
Written by: Kim Ba-da
Directed by: Kim Jin-min
Original Network: Netflix
5. Hellbound: 9,136 points
Total hours viewed worldwide: 111,000,000 hours
No of weeks in Top 10 worldwide: 2 weeks (November 13-28)
No. of countries: 90 countries
Highlights:
- So far, the following countries got the highest points of views with 110 for 11 days: UAE, South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Quatar, Philippines, Morocco, Malaysia, Kuwait, Indonesia, Hongkong, and Bahrain
- Highest hours viewed at 67,520,000 hours on its 2nd week.
- Remains on Top 10 for 2 weeks in 67 countries.
Synopsis: Unearthly beings deliver bloody condemnations, sending individuals to hell and giving rise to a religious group founded on the idea of divine justice.
Genre: Dark fantasy, drama thriller
No of episodes: 6
Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Park Jeong-min, Kim Hyun-joo, Won Jin-a, Yang Ik-june, Kim Do-yoon, Ryu Kyung-soo
Written by: Choi Kyu-sok
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Original Network: Netflix
6. Nevertheless: 7,235 points
Total hours viewed worldwide: 58,670,000 hours
No of weeks in Top 10 worldwide: 7 weeks (July 12 – October 19)
No. of countries: 44 countries
Highlights:
- Thailand scored the highest points of views with 682 for 82 days, followed by the Philippines with 655 for 81 days.
- Remained on Top 10 for 13 weeks in Japan.
- Highest hours viewed at 10,080,000 hours on its 7th week.
Synopsis: The intoxicating charm of a flirtatious art school classmate pulls a reluctant love cynic into a friends-with-benefits relationship.
Genre: Romance
No of episodes: 10
Starring: Han So-hee, Song Kang, Chae Jong-hyeop, Lee Yeol-eum, Yang Hye-ji, Yoon Seo-A, Jeong Jae-kwang
Written by: Jung-won
Directed by: Kim Ga-ram
Original Network: JTBC
7. Hospital Playlist 2: 7,105 points
Total hours viewed worldwide: 72,060,000 hours
No of weeks in Top 10 worldwide: 7 weeks (July 12 – September 19)
No. of countries: 16 countries
Highlights:
- South Korea scored the highest points of views with 2,706 for 413 days, followed by Taiwan with 2,111 for 313 days.
- Remained on Top 10 for 18-19 weeks in South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
- Highest hours viewed at 13,050,000 hours on its 7th week.
Synopsis: Every day is extraordinary for five doctors and their patients inside a hospital, where birth, death and everything in between coexist.
Genre: Medical drama, Romantic-comedy, Slice of life
No of episodes: 12
Starring: Cho Jung-seok, Kim Dae-myung, Jung Kyung-ho, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jeon Mi-do, Kim Hae-sook, Shin Hyun-bin
Written by: Lee Woo-jung
Directed by: Shin Won-ho
Original Network: TVN
8. Space Sweepers: 5,662 points
No. of countries: 81 countries
Highlights:
- In Top 10 for 64 days with an average score of 88 points per day.
- South Korea scored the highest points of views with 432 for 57 days, followed by Vietnam with 240 for 37 days.
Synopsis: In the year 2092, space is full of dangerous floating garbage like discarded satellites and deserted spaceships. The crew of a space junk collector ship called The Victory discovers a humanoid robot that’s known to be a weapon of mass destruction. They get involved in a risky business deal and travel through space looking for garbage they can make money off of while also competing with rival junk collectors.
Genre: Science fiction, space western film
Running time: 136 minutes
Starring: Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Hae-jin, Jin Sun-kyu, Richard Armitage, Oh Yun-su
Written by: Yoon Seung-min, Yoo-kang Seo-ae, and Jo Sung-hee
Directed by: Jo Sung-hee
Budget: 24 billion won
9. Sisyphus: The Myth: 5,633 points
No. of countries: 32 countries
Highlights:
- In Top 10 for 90 days with an average score of 63 points per day.
- Hongkong scored the highest points of views with 714 for 84 days, followed by Taiwan with 626 for 79 days.
Synopsis: An unfathomable incident introduces a genius engineer to dangerous secrets of the world — and to a woman from the future who’s come looking for him.
Genre: Science fiction, thriller, drama, action
No of episodes: 16
Starring: Cho Seung-woo, Park Shin-hye, Sung Dong-il, Tae In-ho, Chae Jong-hyeop, Tae Won-seok, Jeon Kuk-hwan
Written by: Lee Je-in and Jeon Chan-ho
Directed by: Jin Hyuk
Original Network: JTBC
10. Kingdom: Ashin of the North: 4,765 points
No. of countries: 80 countries
Highlights:
- In Top 10 for 88 days with an average score of 54 points per day.
- South Korea scored the highest points of views with 481 for 88 days, followed by Taiwan with 212 for 31 days.
- Highest hours viewed at 16,380,000 on its 1st week.
Synopsis: Tragedy, betrayal and a mysterious discovery fuel a woman’s vengeance for the loss of her tribe and family in this special episode of Kingdom.
Genre: Horror, political drama, thriller, historical period
Running time: 92 minutes
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Park Byung-eun
Written by: Kim Eun-hee
Directed by: Kim Sung-hoon
KORB 