Tom

Gaga are notorious for using AI/machine-translated subs. This was a problem with Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo from them too. iQIYI subs are usually superior when available, so I'll wait to check this out until I can find a stream of this with their subs.

Wi Ha Joon talked about Siren in a new interview:

INT: "There was an article that said you'd be starring in the drama Siren as your next project.
It's a thriller melodrama, right?"

WHJ: "That's right. In fact, I feel like I’ve played a lot of dark roles with strong genre characteristics. So to be honest, I was waiting for something fun and light. But when I read the script for Siren, I was completely captivated. The structure was great, and more than anything, I couldn't wait for the next episode. So I forgot about my plan to do something fun and bright (laughs).

I think we'll start filming in August."

(credit: @wihajoonspics on X)

Most viewers are so used to it that it doesn't really hinder immersion. And the truth is that there is too much money on the line with every drama to cast rookie teen actors in the lead roles. People want to see high-profile actors that they love, even if they don't pass for high schoolers.

She's in Omnicient Reader with Ahn Hyo-seop, but not this.

Which will be the case for the majority of its audience.

95% of cinemagoers do not care about any of these things.

No, it's still ongoing.

I doubt it considering this was filmed back in 2022.

That's where it's scheduled for now at least.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GtOL6uHbMAELOMl?format=jpg&name=large

We know there are 15 episodes because there was this, a picture of the final script.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GShUNMKbAAAE0fB?format=jpg&name=medium

Bae Hyeon-seong was excellent in Gaus Electronics, so looking forward to see him do comedy again. Family by Choice, while technically a romcom, was more on the (tearjerking) drama side for me.

Also I'm assuming this will get a new English title as the current one is dreadful.

That's not necessarily reflected by the numbers, though. Many recent Friday-Saturday drama aired by SBS lately have had higher ratings on Saturdays than on Fridays.

One of the previous dramas in the slot, Buried Hearts, had Saturday peaks for every week it aired. Dramas like Love Scout and Good Partner also grew from Ep1 to Ep2 and continued the trend with typically posting higher ratings with their Saturday episodes.

Are there other examples of dramas where a guest star has outstayed their welcome to this degree?

Ep1: 4.2%
Ep2: 3.0% (-1.2%)

Very low tv rating for a weekend drama on SBS, but it's also a rather atypical drama for that slot. Still, losing over 25% of its audience from episode 1 to 2 does not bode well for the rest of its run.

Yeah, SBS was a strange choice for this drama.

With 15 episodes I wonder about the release schedule. Usually Netflix dramas of this length will be split up in two parts (or a certain number of episodes released weekly like WLGYT). I guess we'll see.

He looks like he could be Kim Da-mi's little brother.

Eng sub trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCN3rBLSJQk

Being #1 matters because it means it's still the hottest ticket in the marketplace. With continued strong word of mouth (the audience reviews are great), its multiplier will improve and likewise its chance of fully recouping its budget.

It also hit 1 million tickets quicker than The Match, which has already hit 20 billion won. So I see no reason why Hi-Five wouldn't get there, especially considering it actually has a proper international rollout.

Well, the preliminary returns from SEA are good (including a significant theater expansion in Thailand), so that looks promising, especially considering the continued international rollout over the summer.

As for its domestic prospects, it made more in its second week than its first, and looks to be #1 this weekend, so it's not really any wonder media outlets are calling it a hit, even if it remains to be seen just where it ends up.