Disney+ wins streaming gold again with the Korean series “Light Shop”.
Supernatural mystery series “Light Shop” has become Disney+’s biggest Korean original premiere of 2024, according to data from the first 12 days of streaming. The show is considered the second-biggest debut of a Korean series on the platform globally, trailing only “Moving” – both series were created by webtoon artist Kangfull.
This success follows Disney+’s announcement in November that the second season of Moving was in development, solidifying its partnership with Kangfull. The first season of “Moving,” which debuted in 2023, became Disney+’s most popular local original title worldwide last year, winning over 10 industry awards.
“Light Shop” is about six strangers trapped in a dark and mysterious neighborhood with no memory of how they got there. Each character grapples with traumatic events from their past while navigating their surreal circumstances. Their search for answers leads them to a mysterious lamp shop at the end of a dark alley that holds the key to understanding their past, present and future.
In the eight-episode series, Ju Jihoon (“Blood Free,” “Kingdom”) plays Jung Wonyoung, the enigmatic lamp shop owner; Park Boyoung (“Strong Girl Bong-soon”) as a nurse whose life is forever changed by a near-death experience; Bae Seongwoo (“Veteran”) as a detective; Lee Jungeun (“Parasite”) as a desperate mother; and Kim Minha (“Pachinko”) as screenwriter Sunhae. The series was adapted for the screen by Kangfull and directed by Kim Hiewon.
The performance of “Moving” and “Light Shop” underscores Disney+’s growing strength in Korean content. Nine of the platform’s 15 most successful international original titles last year were Korean productions. Since launching original content production for Disney+ in APAC in 2021, the company has released over 130 APAC originals.
“Stories produced in Asia Pacific have become an integral part of mainstream entertainment consumption – they are world-class productions with growing global resonance and deep passionate fandoms worldwide,” said Carol Choi, executive vice president of original content strategy at The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, while the Disney+ APAC program was unveiled in November. “Our content strategy remains focused on curating high-quality, talented local originals – high-quality, premium tentpole titles featuring some of the top names in entertainment.”
“Light Shop” continues to air on Disney+ and new episodes are released weekly.