9월 넷플릭스 통계 — 〈폭군의 셰프〉와 〈케이팝 데몬 헌터스〉 상위권 기록

Drama Category: Korean Shows Consistently Top the Charts

In the Saudi Arabian Netflix charts for September 2025, Korean dramas and a globally produced film centred on Korean culture attracted simultaneous attention. The Korean drama The Chef of the Tyrant (dir. Jang Tae-yu, written by fGRD) had topped the drama category in the final week of August before continuing to rank 2nd and 3rd consistently into September. Blending lavish historical-drama visuals with a romance narrative, the show delivered high levels of engagement to local viewers, demonstrating the enduring power of the Korean historical drama genre. During the same period, the Korean legal drama Esquire: Lawyers Who Dream of Becoming Lawyers (dir. Kim Jae-hong, written by Park Mi-hyun) also ranked 6th — showing that Korean dramas spanning a variety of genres are finding favour with Saudi audiences.

▲ The Chef of the Tyrant (2nd) and Esquire: Lawyers Who Dream of Becoming Lawyers (6th) in the Saudi Netflix TV shows chart, week of 9/8–9/14 — Source: Netflix

Film Category: K-pop and Romantic Comedy in the Spotlight

The film category brought some interesting movement. K-pop Demon Hunters (dir. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans), an animated film produced in the United States but centering squarely on K-pop idol culture, reached 2nd place in the film category in the second week of September. The film had already generated considerable buzz in the global market, and its appearance in the Saudi top rankings caught local viewers' attention — suggesting that global box-office momentum is being reflected in local charts to a meaningful degree.

▲ K-pop Demon Hunters at 2nd place in the Saudi Netflix film chart, week of 9/8–9/14 — Source: Netflix

Another notable case is the romantic comedy History of a Confession (dir. Nam Gung-seon), which had been holding a top-10 position since August before climbing to 3rd place in the first week of September — demonstrating sustained popularity with local audiences.

▲ History of a Confession at 3rd place in the Saudi Netflix film chart, week of 9/1–9/7 — Source: Netflix

Genre Diversification and Platform Shifts in Saudi Arabia

These statistics suggest that consumption of Korean content in Saudi Arabia is gradually diversifying beyond specific genres. Beyond traditional romance dramas, viewers are choosing historical dramas, legal dramas, and globally produced films built around K-pop — confirming for Korean producers the box-office viability of a wide range of subject matter, while also broadening the scope for overseas content leveraging Hallyu to reach local viewers.

Korean content has already attracted sustained interest in Saudi Arabia over the past several years. Local media has covered various works in depth — including the Netflix series Hellbound (dir. Yeon Sang-ho) — reporting that "the K-drama wave is clearly resonating with Saudi audiences." Academic research has also shown a growing popularity of K-dramas and K-pop among Saudi Arabia's younger generation, with noticeable corresponding increases in media consumption habits, fashion and beauty trends, and interest in the Korean language and culture.

Furthermore, in July 2025, MBC and Netflix announced a partnership for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region including Saudi Arabia, bundling Netflix global content, Arab originals, and MBC live channels through the MBCNOW platform. This has significantly improved local viewers' access to Netflix, and broadened the opportunities for Korean dramas and films to reach audiences to a greater extent than before.