Bogota: City of the Lost is proving that theatrical performance isn’t always the final verdict for a film’s success, as it shot to Netflix’s global top spot for non-English films.
Plus M Entertainment announced yesterday that the Song Joong Ki-led feature claimed the #1 position in Netflix’s non-English film category immediately following its February 4th streaming debut.
According to Netflix’s TOP 10 website, Bogota commanded 13 million views during its opening week, securing not only the top spot among non-English films but also landing as the second most-watched film overall across all language categories. The film has climbed into Netflix’s Top 10 in 73 countries, with particularly strong showings in 10 markets including South Korea, Colombia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Singapore. Notably, the film’s warm reception in Colombia, where the story is set, has raised eyebrows in industry circles.
The narrative follows Kuk Hee (Song Joong Ki), who ventures to Bogota, Colombia in the aftermath of Korea’s IMF crisis, becoming entangled with influential Korean expatriate figures Soo Young (Lee Hee Joon) and Park Byung Jang (Kwon Hae Hyo).
While the film’s theatrical release on December 31st last year fell short of expectations, drawing only 420,000 viewers against a break-even point of 3 million admissions, its streaming success is offering some consolation. The production, which carried a budget of 12.5 billion won (approximately $8.7 million USD), has found new life on the streaming platform, though the pre-sold streaming rights mean the Netflix success won’t generate additional revenue for its producers.
>> Song Joong Ki’s ‘Bogota: City of the Lost’ Tops Netflix Global Rankings
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