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Netflix just dropped its Engagement Report for the second half of 2024, revealing how people spent their time watching movies and shows. From July to December, members watched over 94 billion hours, marking a 5% increase from the previous year. This shows a solid rise in interest, and it’s clear that the more people enjoy what’s on the platform, the more they keep coming back.

One standout is Squid Game Season 2, which premiered just six days before the year ended. Despite the short time frame, it became the most-watched series, with 87 million views. But, it’s important to note that even big hits like this make up only a tiny fraction—less than 1%—of total viewing time.

Another trend we’re seeing is the growing popularity of animated films. A full 10 of the top 25 films were animated, including favorites like Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (67M views), Trolls Band Together (61M), and...

2024 was another phenomenal year for K-dramas on Netflix. Netflix’s release of its 2024 engagement report for the second half supports this. The report delivers some excellent findings and proof that Korean content continues to grow in popularity on Netflix.

It’s crazy to think that in 2017, the romantic drama Love Alarm was the first Original K-drama series commissioned by Netflix. However, it would be the beloved zombie horror series Kingdom to land on Netflix as the “first” Netflix Original k-drama.

Since 2019, hundreds of new titles from South Korea have been added to Netflix. From romance, comedy, horror, and thrillers to medical and political dramas, Netflix has seen it all. We’ve also seen blockbuster films, variety shows, documentaries, and incredible reality television shows such as Physical 100 and Singles Inferno.

For transparency, we’ve selected the data below from all of the latest Korean titles added to Netflix in 2024. However, you...

Pictures: Netflix

For data nerds – it’s our favorite time of the year – the second half of 2024 viewing data has just been released! We’ve got a lot more to come, but what are the most-watched movies and series of the second half of the year? Let’s dive straight in.

What are the key points that Netflix has cited as being the most important for this data drop? Netflix reiterated that Engagement (time spent watching) is the best metric to gauge member satisfaction and that this data drop covers ~99% of all video watch time on Netflix and that no single title accounts for more than 1% of total Netflix viewing.

Squid Game S2 had the most hours viewed (0.7% of total viewing), and their total watch time for this period of July to December 2024 was 94B hours (5% increase YoY). Their most-viewed series was Squid Game S2 (87M views) despite premiering only 6 days before year-end.

Jason Kim worked as an interpreter in the Korean Air Force before joining Korea’s movie distribution company, Showbox. Before that, he studied international politics at Georgetown University in the United States. Making films had always been his passion which resulted in him making “Goodbye My Sunshine” (2010) and “Koala” (2013). However, with the action comedy, “Midnight Runners” (2017) starring Park Seo-joon, he finally scored a huge hit in Korea. “The Divine Fury” (2019), a horror thriller, was a local box office failure. In 2023, Kim then moved on to do the Netflix action drama TV series “Bloodhounds”.

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Also released on Netflix, Kim’s latest film “Officer Black Belt” sees him returning to his action comedy roots. A film inspired by the controversial local Ministry of Justice program about criminals obliged to wear Gps-enabled anklets during their parole, in order for the probation department...

Netflix beat most Wall Street consensus estimates in its third quarter earnings and reported a 5.1m paid member net addition and 14% year-on-year increase to reach 282.72m.

Revenue of $9.83bn increased 15.7% year-on-year, while earnings per share was $5.40, operating income of $2.9bn represented 52% growth, operating margin was 29.6%, and free cash flow amounted to $2.19bn.

In its letter to shareholders, Netflix said advertising tier membership grew 35% quarter-on-quarter, and its ad tech platform was on track to launch in Canada in Q4 and more broadly in 2025.

Stock closed at $687.65 after a marginal gain on the start of the day and was up around 4% in after hours trading.

Quick Links Officer Black Belt Features Two Excellent Actors Officer Black Belt Has Dark Underlying Themes Law Officers Team Up With Martial Artists in Officer Black Belt

Imagine an official president of a resounding country publicly recognizing and applauding a newly released action movie on Netflix. This surprisingly dark and emotional movie not only makes it to the number one spot on the global most-watched charts of the giant streaming platform, but that same elected official also recommends his entire cabinet to watch the same title he so openly appreciates. While all of this may sound like its ripped from a whimsical drama that focuses on the personal lives of politicians, all the above is true. On September 22, an official for Yoon Suk Yeo the 13th and current president of South Korea said that he not only watched Netflixs Officer Black Belt but also advised his aides to watch it...

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” debuted with 2.7 billion minutes watched in its first full week of availability on Netflix, easily landing on top of Luminate’s weekly ranking of streaming original viewership. The Ryan Murphy series was nearly three times above the next-most-watched title of the week: “The Perfect Couple,” which hit 916.4 million minutes watched in its third full week of availability.

There was another large drop-off between second place and third place, with “Tulsa King” Season 2 accruing 916.4 million minutes watched in the week of the release of its second episode. Next was a tie: “Emily in Paris” Season 4 in the second full week of availability of Part 2, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 2 in the first full week of availability of its sixth episode and the first day of availability of its seventh episode. Both titles hit 398.3 million minutes watched.

"Agatha All Along,...

Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. (L to R) Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Chloë Sevigny as Kitty Menendez, Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2024 Ryan Murphy’s true-crime drama Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story captivated viewers with its gripping narrative and stellar performances, debuting at #1. The YA dystopian film Uglies, starring and executive produced by Joey King, proved the enduring appeal of this genre by claiming the top spot on the English Films List. The harrowing documentary Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter secured a spot on the list, reminding us of the power of real-life stories. Women Take Center Stage Women defied the odds and dominated the charts this week. The thrilling whodunnit series The Perfect Couple, starring Nicole Kidman, claimed the #2 spot on the English TV List. The...

Like the week before, Luminate measured “The Perfect Couple” and “Rebel Ridge” as the No. 1 most-watched streaming original series and film, respectively, in the U.S. during of the week of Sept. 13-19.

“The Perfect Couple” hit 1.8 billion minutes watched during its second full week of availability on Netflix, down from a massive debut of 3.4 billion minutes watched the week before. “Emily in Paris” Season 4 took second place among TV titles and overall, edging out “Rebel Ridge’s” 842.5 million minutes watched with its own 985.7 million after the release of Part 2.

"Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter" debuted at No. 3 with 738.1 million minutes watched, while "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" took No. 4 in its second week on the chart with 537.6 million minutes watched.

Season 2 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" landed in fifth place with 346.4 million minutes watched, down from the previous week, when it was fourth-most-watched with 372.7 million minutes.

Officer Black Belt is a Korean martial arts action movie released on Netflix on September 13, 2024. Based on the controversial real-life South Korean law enforcement method of using Gps-powered ankle bracelets, the story follows Lee-Jeong Do (Kim Woo-Bin), an upbeat delivery man whose various black belts make him a ninth-degree martial arts expert.

Headed home one day, Lee-Jung witnesses a violent criminal beating up a police officer while wearing a LoJack device around his ankle. Using his martial arts skills, Lee-Jeong stops the assailant and is immediately asked to join the police force. What begins as a part-time substitute soon becomes a fully committed profession for Lee-Jeong, as he rounds up a sidekick and uses his Judo, Kendo, and Taekwondo to put criminals behind bars. Despite the slapstick comedy featured in the movie, Officer Black Belt is more rooted in reality than fans might assume.

What Happens in Officer Black Belt?...

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Officer Black Belt is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Joo-hwan Kim. The Netflix film follows the story of Lee Jong-do, a skilled martial arts fighter as he is recruited by a probation officer to help closely manage the criminals wearing electronic ankle bracelets to stop them from hurting innocent people. Officer Black Belt stars Kim Woo-bin in the lead role with Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Hae Young, and Kim Yool-ho starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the thrilling action, hilarious comedy, and compelling characters in Officer Black Belt here are some similar movies to watch next.

Midnight Runners (Tubi & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Lotte Entertainment

Midnight Runner is a South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Jason Kim. The 2017 film follows two new students at the Korean National Police University...

Lionsgate has seen a run of bad box office luck: “Borderlands,” “The Crow,” “1992,” and the just-opened “The Killer’s Game” combined have only grossed $30 million among four new films opened in the past six weeks.

“Uglies” continues the recent string of Netflix original movie successes. From director McG, the YA novel adaptation about a society where standardized personal attractiveness is compulsory was an immediate #1 this weekend on the streamer’s top movie list.

In its Sunday spin on first weekend results, Lionsgate often says that, despite weak numbers, the company is in a position to end up making money — and due to financial positioning and post-theatrical platforms.

With “The Crow” debuting on PVOD last Friday, they may have an argument.

Despite only being out for three days, the reboot of the 1994 Brandon Lee-launched film series is #1 on Fandango’s top 10 VOD chart (which covers a full week). The at-home viewing platform calculates by revenue,...

The Netflix movie Officer Black Belt might seem like it’s an action comedy about martial arts, like other films in the genre like Kung-Fu Panda or The Karate Kid, but it’s actually a crime thriller about police officers in Seoul which follows Police Officer Kim Sun Min and Martial Arts Officer Jung-do-ssi as they team up to take down dangerous criminals across the city. In the cast and character guide of Officer Black Belt, I am going to explore the skin of these two officers and a whole bunch of other folks with whom they came in contact throughout the film.

Spoilers Ahead

Jung-do-ssi

Played by Kim Woo Bin, Jung-do seemed like a fun and carefree guy who loved to hang out with his friends, play video games, practice judo, and deliver food around the neighborhood, whenever he got the time. For Jung-do, life was simple, and he...

“Officer Black Belt” is a 2024 Korean drama film and can be categorized as Action, Crime, Police Procedural Drama, and Comedy. It’s English dubbed and subbed, and streaming on Netflix. ♦ He Took Down the Bad Guy With One Move? Hire Him! In “Officer Black Belt”, Lee Jung-Do is one of those guys everybody would love to have as a best friend or a brother. Everything about him is awesome! He has a great personality, he’s talk, dark, and handsome. Dark, when he’s not a blonde, that is. And when it comes to martial arts, you might think he somehow inherited his DNA genes from the incomparable Bruce Lee. What does someone fitting that description do for a living? Uuhh … he delivers fried chicken. His dad owns a restaurant and he helps out making the deliveries. One night after dropping off a delivery he was driving by and heard sounds.

Who knew that a pot of gochujang could elevate an action sequence! Netflix’s Korean release Officer Black Belt is a must-watch for action film lovers which centers around a young martial arts expert named Lee Jung-do, who has black belts in taekwondo, kendo, and judo. Jung-do lived a routine life—every day he dedicated a few hours to hone his martial arts skills; after that, he hung out with his friends and helped his father deliver food from his eatery. One day, while returning home from work, he noticed a policeman in dire need of help. Jung-do intervened and helped save Officer Min-jo’s life. Jung-do was awarded for his bravery, and he was introduced to probation officer Kim Sun-min. The director saw potential in Jung-do and briefed him about the role of martial arts officer. Jung-do was clear about one thing—he wanted a job that he would have fun doing,...

Netflix’s Officer Black Belt follows Lee Jung-Do, a young, happy-go-lucky man with no proper job prospects or cares in the world. The story’s simple: Jung-Do happens upon a martial arts officer in trouble and decides to help him immediately despite the dangerous situation. The martial arts officer quickly realizes that Jung-Do is more than qualified to be a part of his team, and soon enough he gets offered a job to substitute for the officer, seeing as he was injured during the fight. Jung-Do decides on a whim that he wants to give it a try and gets paired up with probation officer Kim Sun-Min. Soon enough, Jung-Do realizes that he was always meant to be a martial arts officer and takes it up for real, but is it going to give him the thrill he’s after? Let’s find out.

Spoiler Alert

Why Does Jung-Do Want To Catch Kang Ki-Jung?...

«Agente cinturón negro» es una película dirigida por Kim Joo-hwan y protagonizada por Kim Woo-bin.

“Agente cinturón negro” es un thriller de malos y buenos de esos que tantos éxitos han dado al cine. Un película de acción sin complicaciones ni a nivel estético, ni narrativo ni moral: una película coreana sin ambigüedad moral alguna que se convierte en una cinta agradable que casi roza el cine familiar.

Casi una lección moralista en una película que, aunque entretenida, pasa por nuestras vidas sin dejar demasiado rastro debido a su falta de origjnalidad, de ambición.

Entretener, entretiene: un thriller clásico de buenos y malos.

Argumento

Lee Jung-do es un chico deportista y experto en artes marciales que un día ayuda a un agente de policía gracias a sus habilidades físicas. Los agentes ven un gran futuro en el chico, y le convierten en un nuevo agente para detener a convictos peligrosos.

“Officer Black Belt” is a movie directed by Kim Joo-hwan starring Kim Woo-bin.

“Officer Black Belt” brings us a familiar tale of good guys and bad guys, reminiscent of the formulaic yet successful cinema of yesteryears. This uncomplicated action film, devoid of aesthetic, narrative, or moral complexity, is a Korean production that navigates the realm of straightforward storytelling. It flirts with the edges of family-friendly cinema, offering a near-moralistic experience that entertains but doesn’t aspire to leave a lasting impression due to its lack of originality and ambition. The film is undeniably engaging but feels like a transient presence in our lives, barely scratching the surface of memorable cinematic experiences.

Plot

Lee Jung-do, a young athlete and martial arts expert, finds himself in the spotlight when he aids a police officer using his physical prowess. Recognizing his potential, the authorities recruit him as a new agent tasked with capturing dangerous criminals.

“Officer Black Belt” is a movie directed by Kim Joo-hwan starring Kim Woo-bin.

“Officer Black Belt” brings us a familiar tale of good guys and bad guys, reminiscent of the formulaic yet successful cinema of yesteryears. This uncomplicated action film, devoid of aesthetic, narrative, or moral complexity, is a Korean production that navigates the realm of straightforward storytelling. It flirts with the edges of family-friendly cinema, offering a near-moralistic experience that entertains but doesn’t aspire to leave a lasting impression due to its lack of originality and ambition. The film is undeniably engaging but feels like a transient presence in our lives, barely scratching the surface of memorable cinematic experiences.

Plot

Lee Jung-do, a young athlete and martial arts expert, finds himself in the spotlight when he aids a police officer using his physical prowess. Recognizing his potential, the authorities recruit him as a new agent tasked with capturing dangerous criminals.

We're midway through September, and Netflix has been releasing tons of great content on its platform. I don't know if you've looked at the streamer's top 10 movie list lately, but there are currently three action movies ranking on the list that are definitely a must-watch. They were all released on Netflix this month. And what's even better is that there will be a couple more action flicks the streamer will be releasing soon.

Are you curious about what those movies are? No worries! Below, we shared a list of some of the best action movies on Netflix in September.

Rebel Ridge (2024)

Cast: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen, Steve Zissis, Zsané Jhé, Dana Lee, James Cromwell

As of Sept. 11, Rebel Ridge is sitting at the No. 1 spot on Netflix's top 10 movie list, meaning tons of people are watching the new action-thriller. It was released on the streaming platform on Sept.

While we have already made a list of the best of the best movies coming to Netflix in September, those are not the only films you should look out for as the biggest streaming service in the world is also bringing you a ton of original and licensed new content in the upcoming month, from a brilliant animated series by Zack Snyder to the highly anticipated new season of biographic true crime drama series Monsters. So, we picked out the 10 best new movies and TV shows coming to Netflix in September 2024.

The Perfect Couple Season 1 (September 5)

The Perfect Couple is an upcoming mystery thriller drama series created by Jenna Lamia. Based on a 2018 novel of the same name by author Elin Hilderbrand, the Netflix series revolves around Amelia as she marries into the wealthy Winbury family to the disapproval of the family matriarch but when a body is found on...

Korean multi-talent Yeon Sang-ho is getting back in business with Netflix for his next feature film — with a little help from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón.

Yeon has signed to direct a movie adaptation of his own popular Korean webtoon, Revelations, with Cuarón onboard to executive produce and consult on the project.

Yeon first became a familiar name to international film buffs in 2016 with his breakthrough zombie blockbuster Train to Busan. He’s since directed three projects for Netflix, the sci-fi feature Jung_E and the hit high-concept series Hellbound and Parasyte: The Grey. A second season of Hellbound is currently in the works.

Netflix declined to provide additional info on how Cuarón came to be involved in Revelations the movie, but Yeon shared his excitement over the partnership.

“Alfonso Cuarón, known for masterpieces like Children of Men and Gravity, has greatly influenced my work as a director,” he said. “I...