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Still from D-War (Provided by CINEPLAY)

Director Shim Hyung-rae's 2007 film D-War has climbed to No. 6 on Netflix's global film chart. In France, Germany, and Italy, it rose as high as No. 2. This comes 19 years after the film's domestic release on August 1, 2007.

Netflix added the film to its catalog on August 6. According to streaming ranking aggregator sites, D-War ranked No. 6 on Netflix's global film chart on August 8 and 9, and No. 9 on August 11. The film appeared in the Top 10 charts of 20 countries.

A Sci-Fi Fantasy Built on Korean Serpent Legend — Director Shim Hyung-rae on the International Response

D-War draws on the Korean legend of the imugi — a serpent said to transform into a dragon after obtaining a magical wish-granting jewel known as the yeouiju — to tell a story of good versus evil unfolding in Los Angeles. The film is built on the premise that events from 16th-century Korea repeat themselves in present-day downtown Los Angeles, with an evil imugi and a good imugi battling over the yeouiju. American actors held the lead roles and filming took place on location in the U.S., but the capital and production were Korean. Director Shim Hyung-rae both directed the film and is credited as its screenwriter.

Director Shim Hyung-rae said the rise in the rankings came as an unexpected result. He explained that while dragons are a universally recognized motif, the imugi is a creature unique to Korea, and the very element that critics said foreign audiences would not recognize during production now seems to be received as something new. He added that overseas audiences appear to be enjoying the film simply as science fiction, without preconceptions.

Director Shim Hyung-rae also pointed to a shift in perception around the folk song "Arirang," which plays over the film's ending. In 2007, its inclusion drew criticism as a form of nationalistic marketing, but he said that as global interest in Korean culture has grown, perceptions of native Korean material and of Arirang have also changed. Foreign media outlets have cited the film's character as an easy-to-watch, live-action monster movie as a factor behind its resurgence.

A Mixed Reception and Box-Office Success in 2007, and Now D-War 2

Upon its original release, D-War drew more than 8 million admissions domestically, making it the most-watched Korean film released that year. However, opinions were divided over the completeness of its story, its direction, and its computer graphics. As debate over its commercial performance versus its artistic merit continued, the current-affairs debate program 100 Minute Debate devoted an episode to D-War.

D-War was director Shim Hyung-rae's follow-up large-scale project after Yonggary. He has maintained for decades that Korean content should be made with the English-language market in mind, a view that drew criticism at the time; he said that, seeing the film's current results, he believes that judgment was not wrong.

Director Shim Hyung-rae said work is underway on a sequel, D-War 2. Since the first film ended with the imugi transforming into a dragon and ascending to the heavens, the sequel will pick up from that point. The goal is to hold a production announcement event by the end of this year and begin filming in early next year, with roughly 80% of the film to be shot in the United States and the remainder shot across four countries including Korea, Europe, and China.

Director Shim Hyung-rae said that elements he was unable to realize in the first film due to technical limitations can now be rendered with much greater precision. Whether the overseas audience interest built up over 19 years will carry through to D-War 2 remains to be seen.

Sources

• CINEPLAY, "The 2007 Korean Film That Suddenly Climbed to No. 2 on Netflix's Popularity Chart in Europe," 2026.08.11

• The Korea Times, "Why is 2007 Korean monster film D-War suddenly a Netflix hit in Europe?," 2026.08.13 

• Yonhap News Agency, "D-War Makes Netflix Comeback... Shim Hyung-rae: 'The Imugi Is the Ultimate K-Content,'" 2026.08.14