'Killers' Shopping Mall' season 2 rescues Disney+ from the bottom of South Korea's OTT market

"Killers' Shopping Mall" season 2 [Photo, Disney+]

"Is 'Killers' Shopping Mall' season 2 really that good?"

Disney+, the OTT platform that has drawn attention — and criticism — for its mature, adult-rated content, has pulled off a comeback.

Long mocked by Korean viewers with complaints like "there's nothing to watch" and "just leave Korea already," Disney+ recorded the biggest subscriber rebound among domestic OTT platforms last month, driven by "Killers' Shopping Mall" season 2 — a show some have called excessively violent.

According to IGAWorks' Mobile Index, Disney+'s monthly active users (MAU) rose about 14 percent from the previous month to surpass 3.56 million last month. Analysts attributed the gain largely to the release of "Killers' Shopping Mall" season 2.

The show topped the TV and OTT combined drama buzz rankings in the first week of August, according to GoodData Corporation's FUNdex survey. It also set a record as the most-watched Korean content in the Asia-Pacific region.

On FlixPatrol, an OTT content ranking aggregator, the series ranked No. 1 across all Disney+ content in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, and broke into the top 10 in 13 countries worldwide.

"Killers' Shopping Mall" debuted in 2024 to both critical acclaim and strong buzz. Season 2, returning two years later, has drawn praise despite some criticism that it is too violent, and appears to be luring back users who had abandoned Disney+.

The eight-episode season 2 aired its finale Wednesday. Viewers have called it the best Disney+ original in recent memory, with reactions ranging from "brutal but incredibly fun" to "please make a season 3."

An earlier Disney+ title, "Goldland," also generated significant interest despite being restricted to ages 18 and over. Disney+ appears to be banking on adult-rated content to stage a turnaround in the domestic OTT market.

Disney+ original titles [Photo, Disney+]

Disney+ was once seen as a serious rival to Netflix in South Korea but has since fallen to last place among major streaming platforms, with users frustrated by a lack of hit content.

Rumors once circulated that the company was pulling back investment in Korean productions, but Disney+ has instead moved to expand that investment, mounting a counteroffensive in a market where Netflix holds a commanding lead.

Meanwhile, Netflix cemented its dominant position in the domestic OTT market last month with 16.32 million MAU. Tving recorded about 8.5 million MAU, down 12 percent from the previous month, while Coupang Play slipped about 2 percent to about 8.68 million. Wavve edged up roughly 1 percent to about 4.01 million.

park@heraldcorp.com