Disney+

The supernatural mystery series “Light Shop” has become Disney+‘s biggest Korean original premiere of 2024, according to data from its first 12 days of streaming. The show ranks as the second-largest Korean series debut ever on the platform globally, trailing only “Moving” – both series created by webtoon artist Kangfull.

This success follows Disney+’s November announcement that “Moving” Season 2 is in development, cementing their partnership with Kangfull. The first season of “Moving,” which launched in 2023, emerged as Disney+’s number one local original title globally last year, winning over 10 industry awards.

“Light Shop” follows six strangers who find themselves trapped in a dark and mysterious neighborhood with no memory of how they arrived. Each character grapples with traumatic events from their past as they navigate their surreal circumstances. Their search for answers leads them to a mysterious light shop at the end of a foreboding alleyway, which holds the key to understanding their past, present, and future.

The eight-part series stars Ju Jihoon (“Blood Free,” “Kingdom”) as Jung Wonyoung, the enigmatic owner of the light shop; Park Boyoung (“Strong Girl Bong-soon”) as a nurse whose life was forever changed by a near-death experience; Bae Seongwoo (“Veteran”) as a detective; Lee Jungeun (“Parasite”) as a distraught mother; and Kim Minha (“Pachinko”) as screenwriter Sunhae. The series is adapted for the screen by Kangfull and is directed by Kim Hiewon.

The performance of both “Moving” and “Light Shop” underscores Disney+’s growing strength in Korean content. Nine of the platform’s top 15 best-performing international original titles last year were Korean productions. Since launching original content production for Disney+ in the APAC region in 2021, the company has released over 130 APAC originals.

“Stories produced in Asia Pacific have become a staple in general entertainment consumption – they are world-class productions, with growing global resonance and deep passionate fandoms worldwide,” had said Carol Choi, executive VP of original content strategy, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, while unveiling the Disney+ APAC slate in November. ““Our content strategy remains focused on curating premium, talent-driven originals from the region – quality, best-in-class tentpole titles with some of the very top names in entertainment.”

“Light Shop” has all 8-episodes available on Disney+ in APAC and Hulu in the U.S.

Written by Naman Ramachandran

Link: https://variety.com/2024/tv/asia/light-shop-disney-korea-1236256019/