Disney+ scores gold again with Korean series ‘Light Shop’
The 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 ranks as the second-biggest Korean series debut ever on the platform globally, behind only “Moving” – both series created by webtoon artist Kangfull.
This success follows Disney+’s November announcement that “Moving” Season 2 is in development, further cementing their partnership with Kangfull. The first season of “Moving,” which launched in 2023, became Disney+’s number one local original title worldwide last year and won more than 10 industry awards.
“Light Shop” follows six strangers who are trapped in a dark and mysterious neighborhood with no memory of how they got there. Each character struggles 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 an ominous alley, where lies 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 store; Park Boyoung (“Strong Girl Bong-soon”) as a nurse whose life was forever changed by a near-death experience; Bae Seongwoo (“Veteran”) as detective; Lee Jungeun (“Parasite”) as a distraught mother; and Kim Minha (“Pachinko”) as screenwriter Sunhae. The series has been adapted into a film by Kangfull and directed by Kim Hiewon.
The performance of both “Moving” and “Light Shop” underlines Disney+’s growing strength in Korean content. Nine of the platform’s 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 more than 130 APAC originals.
“Stories produced in Asia Pacific have become a staple of mainstream entertainment consumption – they are world-class productions, with growing global resonance and deeply passionate fandoms worldwide,” 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 featuring some of the very best names in entertainment.”
“Light Shop” continues its run on Disney+ with new episodes released weekly.
