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Netflix’s film viewership in the Asia-Pacific region increased by nearly 20% in 2024, reflecting the platform’s growing success in tapping into local stories. In the streamer’s most recent APAC Showcase in Tokyo, APAC VP of Content (outside Korea) Minyoung Kim revealed that over 100 titles from the region made it into Netflix’s worldwide top 10 of non-English titles last year. They comprised high-performing titles like Korea’s Uprising, Indonesia’s The Shadow Strays, and Japan’s City Hunter, which also drove a 900% increase in sales of the original manga.
This expanding demand for regional films arrives as Netflix subscribers worldwide currently watch an average of seven movies each month. The APAC region is especially a growth driver. Southeast Asia premium video-on-demand alone increased 14% to $1.8 billion in 2024. Netflix commanded over half the audience of the market and about 42% of the revenue. Indonesia led the region with $552 million worth of contribution, followed by Thailand at $473 million.
To stay in step with this growth, Netflix is doubling down on regionally native productions. Two original zombie films—Elixir from Indonesia and Ziam from Thailand—are releasing later this year, produced with creative input from the team behind Korea’s Kingdom. In Japan, Netflix is launching Bullet Train Explosion, a high-speed remake of the 1975 thriller. With unprecedented collaboration from railway company JR East, the shoot was filmed on real Shinkansen trains traveling across Japan—seven full roundtrips from Tokyo to Aomori—making it one of the most ambitious shoots in Japan to date.
India remains the place to go for movie-watching, and almost half of viewers on Netflix India watch predominantly film content. Every week of 2024 included at least one Indian movie appearing in the global non-English top 10. Rajkummar Rao, an Indian actor featured and starring in comedy Toaster, pointed to how hard and tough it was doing real comedic acting.
In Korea, where Netflix has already gained a global reputation, the platform is expanding its slate with its first animated feature, Lost in Starlight, and upcoming titles such as Wall to Wall, The Great Flood, and Mantis, a spinoff of Kill Boksoon. With its expanding roster and strong local partnerships, Netflix is doubling down on its long-term commitment to Asian storytelling on the global stage.
