SEOUL, August 18, 2023 — Kakao Entertainment is making waves across global streaming platforms, cinema, and TV screens with exceptional content. With a stable and independent production infrastructure, Kakao Entertainment enables creators to produce original content across a wide range of genres. Recently, Kakao Entertainment’s daring experiments have garnered recognition for their artistic values both in and outside of Korea, attesting to the company’s robust competitiveness in studio production.

The latest production hit is the TV drama “Not Others,” an adaptation of Kakao Entertainment’s original webtoon. This TV series was a result of a collaborative production between Baram Pictures, a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment, and Arc Media. Since premiering in Korea on July 17^th, the ­series has consistently received positive reviews and its ratings climbed with each episode. The series beautifully embodies the essence of the original webtoon and has been praised for the performances of actors like Jeon Hye-jin and Choi Soo-young. With “Not Others,” Kakao Entertainment builds on the last year’s blockbuster success of “Business Proposal,” which enjoyed popularity as a web novel, webtoon, and Netflix series. “Not Others” is now available for the global audience via Viki, IQIYI, Viu, and U-Next in regions across Asia, America, Europe, and Oceania.

Another recent hit is “Zombieverse” produced by Kakao Entertainment. Upon its release on August 8^th, the comedy-horror reality show secured its place within the TOP 10 Netflix TV shows in 36 countries, including France, Mexico, the UAE, Thailand, and Vietnam. During the first week of its release (from August 8^th to the 13^th), the show recorded 1,900,000 views and ranked 5^th in the TOP 10 Global Netflix series (non-English) category*. The show’s unique blend of the Zombie genre and Korean variety show format generated an immense amount of interest. Furthermore, the show’s unprecedented production scale and professionals enriched the eerie atmosphere of the show, providing an immersive experience for both the cast and the viewers. For example, a zombie action choreographer who participated in a film like “Train to Busan” and the Netflix series “Kingdom,” as well as a specialized art team from “All of Us Are Dead” and Art Director Cho Hwa-sung, known for “New World” and “Concrete Utopia” was part of the production.

Aside from production hits, Kakao Entertainment continues to garner global attention across prestigious awards ceremonies. This past May, the film “Hopeless” secured a spot in the Un Certain Regard section at the 76^th Cannes International Film Festival. The narrative of “Hopeless” delicately unfolds Yeon-gyu’s journey (portrayed by Hong Xa-bin) — a young boy eager to break free from his challenging reality — and his unexpected alliance with a mid-tier gang leader, Chi-geon (played by Song Joong-ki). Produced by Sanai Pictures, Kakao Entertainment’s subsidiary, this marks the second year of the company gracing the Cannes stage, following the previous year’s success with “Hunt.”

Furthermore, the groundbreaking virtual idol survival show “Girl’s Re:verse” clinched the Excellence Award in the New Media Variety category at the New Media Content Awards held in Broadcast Worldwide 2023 Seoul on August 16^th. Adding to the roster of accolades, the renowned Yu Jae-seok was honored with the Male Variety Star Award at Korea’s Second Blue Dragon Series Awards in July for his role in “PLAYou Level Up,” an interactive variety show.

Kakao Entertainment is poised to captivate global audiences in the latter half of the year as well. One anticipated title is “The Worst of Evil,” a collaborative masterpiece co-produced by Baram Pictures, Sanai Pictures, and Kakao Entertainment. Slated for its grand premiere as a Disney+ original series on September 27^th, this project is again a testament to Kakao Entertainment’s expansive reach. With a wide spectrum of works on global streaming platforms, TV, and cinema screens, Kakao Entertainment continues to grow as a global studio.

*Source: Netflix’s TOP10 website