‘Badland Hunters’ rises to No. 1 on Netflix’s non-English movie chart

January 31, 2024

The dystopian action flick “Badland Hunters,” starring Ma Dong-seok, topped Netflix’s weekly chart for non-English movies, the global streaming service said Wednesday.

Since its release Friday, the South Korean film garnered 14.3 million total views during the Jan. 22-28 viewing period, and was No. 1 in 82 countries, including South Korea, Brazil, Italy and France.

“Badland Hunters” centers on a hunter, played by Ma, better known internationally as Don Lee, who tries to rescue a teenage girl abducted by an ill-willed doctor who wants to experiment on her.

It is the feature directorial debut of martial arts choreographer Heo Myeong-haeng, best known for his work for the “The Roundup” film series also starring Ma.

Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, speaks during a press event for "Badland Hunters" in Seoul in this file photo taken on Jan. 16, 2024. (Yonhap)
Ma Dong-seok, also known as Don Lee, speaks during a press event for “Badland Hunters” in Seoul in this file photo taken on Jan. 16, 2024. (Yonhap)

Separately, the occult thriller “The Bequeathed” landed atop the streamer’s non-English TV list with 3.1 million views.

The six-part Netflix original series by “Train to Busan” director Yeon Sang-ho tells the story of a woman, played by Kim Hyun-joo, who experiences a string of murders surrounding her after inheriting a burial ground from her uncle.

Two other South Korean dramas, “Captivating the King” and “Doctor Slump,” made it into the top 10 at No. 7 and No. 9, with 1.5 million and 1.4 million views, respectively.

The image, provided by Netflix, shows a still cut from "The Bequeathed." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The image, provided by Netflix, shows a still cut from “The Bequeathed.” (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)