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Netflix (NFLX) Drops Trailer for Gyeongseong Creature K-Drama

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Netflix (NFLX - Free Report) has revealed the teaser for its upcoming Korean show, Gyeongseong Creature, which is shaping up to be an exciting and intriguing series, blending historical drama with elements of the creature genre.

The teaser poster and trailer provide a glimpse into the suspenseful narrative, which is set in the spring of 1945 and the challenge of battling a monstrous entity born from human greed adds an interesting layer to the narrative.

The combination of historical context and the mysterious Ongseong Hospital as a vital location adds an extra layer of depth to the story. The involvement of main characters like Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok, played by Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee respectively, adds excitement to the storyline.

The plot, with its race against time and the threat faced by Tae-sang to find the missing lover of Commissioner Ishikawa, creates a sense of urgency and intrigue. The partnership between Tae-sang and Chae-ok, both experts in their own right, includes an interesting dimension to the narrative.

Aside from Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, the new Netflix Korean original series will also feature Claudia Kim (Avengers: Age Of Ultron), Squid Game alum Wi Ha-joon, Kim Hae-sook and Jo Han-chul, among others.

With the release of Part 1 on Dec 22 and Part 2 on Jan 5 exclusively on Netflix, it seems like viewers can anticipate a thrilling and suspenseful experience as they delve into the world of Gyeongseong Creature.

Korean Content Lineup to Boost User Growth

Netflix is investing heavily in Korean-language content since Korea emerged as an entertainment superpower with K-pop groups like BTS, K-dramas like All of Us Are Dead and the Oscar-winning Korean movie Parasite dominating the entertainment industry globally.

NFLX is currently producing an upcoming Korean drama, The Trunk, starring Korea’s A-listers like Gong Yoo of Train to Busan and Goblin and Seo Hyun-jin, known for Another Miss Oh and The Beauty Inside.

The story, written by Park Eun-young of Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and directed by Kim Gyu-tae of Our Blues, revolves around a marriage arrangement service where clients are arranged into a contract marriage for a year with their most suited partner and the series of secrets that unfold after a mysterious trunk floats ashore.

The company also confirmed the production of Aema, a Korean original series following the struggles of Hui-ran and Joo-ae in creating the 1980s hit film Madame Aema, set in 80s Chungmuro, showcasing the harsh realities of actors in the glitzy Korean film industry.

Expanding the Korean language portfolio will strengthen the Asia-Pacific (APAC) segment’s performance in the near term. For the third quarter of 2023, the paid subscriber base for APAC jumped 17.1% from the year-ago quarter to 42.43 million. The company added 1.88 million paid subscribers in the quarter.

The streaming giant gained 8.76 million paid subscribers globally, thanks to the rollout of paid sharing, strong and steady programming and the ongoing expansion of streaming globally. Netflix expects paid net additions to be similar to third-quarter 2023.

For the fourth quarter of 2023, the company forecasts earnings of $2.15 per share, significantly up from 12 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is pegged at $2.18 per share, currently higher than the company’s expectation.

Total revenues are anticipated to be $8.69 billion, suggesting growth of 10.7% year over year or 12% on a foreign-exchange neutral basis. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $8.7 billion, higher than the company’s expectation and indicating 10.86% growth from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.

This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has also experienced record-breaking hits from Korean series like Squid Game and The Glory, with the streaming giant announcing an investment of $2.5 billion in South-Korean creative content over the next four years, building on an already strong portfolio of Korean movies, series and reality shows. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Strong momentum in Netflix’s foreign-language portfolio offerings will benefit top-line growth amid stiff competition from industry peers like Apple (AAPL - Free Report) , Disney (DIS - Free Report) and Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) .

Shares of Netflix shares have gained 62.1% year to date, outperforming the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector’s return of 11.3%. It also outperformed Apple and Disney but underperformed Amazon.

Notably, shares of Apple and Amazon have returned 47.2% and 74.7%, respectively, while shares of Disney have gained 9.4% on a year-to-date basis.

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