Money Heist: Korea review: A commercial success despite poor audience review

Money Heist: Korea-Joint Economic Area, the Korean remake of the popular Spanish OTT series Money Heist, has raked in global commercial success despite receiving disappointing reviews from domestic audiences.

The Netflix original has topped the global viewing charts and is the most-watched show in sixteen countries, including Singapore, Jamaica and Brazil. Online entertainment databases and review platforms reveal that the show has received mixed responses from American audiences, evident in the contrasting ratings from critics vs. the public.

Despite topping the viewing charts back home in Korea, domestic audiences have expressed their disappointment with the show - a sentiment that has resonated among several media outlets as well.

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Why are South Koreans disappointed with the remake of Money Heist?

Following the groundbreaking international success of the popular Netflix K-drama Squid Game, fans were thrilled to hear about the Korean remake of the much-acclaimed Spanish series, Money Heist.

A lucrative partnership with Netflix provides Korean filmmakers with a platform sans crippling censorship. This, along with the star-studded cast for the remake, promised a blockbuster series that would live up to the glory of the original show.

However, the first season of the five-part show failed to live up to the expectations of the audience, many of whom found Money Heist: Korea lacking in the high-powered thrill that was so typical of its Spanish counterpart. In many ways, it seemed like a complete copy of the original show, without any of its trademark lusters.

Fans harshly criticized the show for lacking several essential elements such as a central theme, memorable and authentic characters, and most importantly, steady and well-paced narration.

This was in contrast with the preview of the show, which gave high hopes to fans, who expected popular actor Yoo Ji-tae, renowned for his somber acting style, to do justice to the role of the Professor.

Additionally, viewers were eagerly looking forward to the comeback of actress Jeong Jong-seo, who rose to fame with her outstanding performances in Burning and The Call. Unfortunately, the actress received a lot of heat for her portrayal of the much-loved character of Tokyo, and was deemed to be extremely adulterated and unimpressive.

The show has come under heavy criticism from the media and viewers alike, who deemed it to be a disappointing replica of the iconic original.

Audiences were also left perturbed by the extremely unbelievable premise against which the plot was set, which showed a unified Korea but continued to operate on stereotypes and failed to iron out the details of the utopian society.

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Money Heist: Korea is a success with the global audience

Regardless of the domestic disappointment with the show, Money Heist: Korea has become a global sensation. The show topped Netflix's global viewing charts for non-English shows merely three days after its release.

It received a staggering 33.7 million hours of streaming, making it the most-watched show in several nations including Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea.

While the the Spanish show is set against a socio-economic crisis and the frustration of the youth with the system, the Korean adaptation is based on a futuristic geopolitical setting.

For global viewers, cinematic pizzazz, Korean political and cultural references, and the political turmoil ensuing in a unified Korea, adds an authentic twist to the adaptation.