Netflix’s movie,similar toTrain to Busan, climbs the global Top 10 charts within days of its release. StarringSquid Game’s Gong Yoo as a father taking his daughter on a train, the 2016 action horror sees a train ride turn into a battle for survival during a zombie outbreak.
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the zombie apocalypse movie achieved critical acclaim and commercial success, having becomethe highest-grossing Korean film in several Asian markets at the time of its release. Featuringstrong performances from Gongand Ma Dong-seok, the movie touches on themes such as selfishness, selflessness, societal inequality, and survival.
Many non-English movies have achieved global success on Netflix. From the German action thriller,Exterritorial,to the French shark flick,Under Paris, the platform is home to many hit non-English movies.
Netflix’s Ziam Climbs Up Global Charts
Despite Divisive Reviews
Released on July 9,Ziamis a Thai zombie horror film that sees a boxer doing everything in his power to save his lover in a hospital during a zombie outbreak. CombiningMuay Thai fight sequences with zombie horror, the movie stars Mark Prin Suparat as the central character Singh, alongside Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich (Rin), Wanvayla Boonnithipaisit (Buddy), among others. Since its release, the movie has received mixed reviews from the audience.
However, despite a divisive reception,Ziamhas secured a spot on theNetflixglobal Top 10 chart for non-English movies this week.Currently at No.3, followingBrickat No.1 andAlmost Copsat No.2, the Mark Prin Suparat-led movie has generated 9.2 million views this week. It’s also the No.1 movie in four countries (Peru, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Thailand) at the time of writing and has appeared among the Top 10 films in 62 countries.
What Ziam’s Streaming Success Means For Netflix
Ziam Is A Guilty Pleasure
Similar toExterritorial, which only has a 49% approval rate from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes, the reception of Netflix’s recent zombie movie has been mixed.ScreenRant’s review ofZiamhighlightedthe action sequences and the genre-appropriate delivery of gore and violence, but criticized its lack of character development and emotional moments.
The review also pointed out that while the combination of Thai martial arts and zombie action is very refreshing, it’s too predictable and formulaic to add anything meaningful to the genre. That sentiment can be observed in several reviews for Netflix movies.
In comparison toTrain to Busan,Ziamchecks some of the boxes, butthe movie is more like a guilty pleasure for zombie horror fans than a critically acclaimed masterpiece.Its streaming success proves the continuing high demand for the genre and the ability of Netflix movies to serve a global audience.
