Choi Min-sik X Choi Hyun-woo’s “The Boy at the Back Row” Hits Global Box-Office Breakout After Release; Enters TOP 10 in 32 Countries Worldwide

〈The Boy at the Back Row〉 has proven its global popularity and has emerged as a new breakout talking point.

Within 3 days of release, it tops charts in 32 countries worldwide Netflix original series 〈The Boy at the Back Row〉 scored a quick win after its worldwide simultaneous release on June 26, entering the TOP 10 in 32 countries worldwide as of June 29 according to FlixPatrol, including South Korea, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, Vietnam, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and more. Beyond just South Korea, it sparked a major momentum for a hit, drawing hot responses across multiple countries spanning Asia, Europe and Africa.

A psychological suspense built by a failed writer and a genius engineering student 〈The Boy at the Back Row〉, starring veteran actor Choi Min-sik and rising star Choi Hyun-woo, follows the story of failed writer Heomun-oh, a professor in Korean literature who has been unable to produce a next work, discovering the genius talent of engineering student Kang Lee, who attends his classes. The tense psychological suspense that arises between the story and the people who write it, along with the ever-repeated, unpredictable twist structure, creates a pulse-pounding tension for global viewers and delivers an intense pull to keep watching.

Strong performances from a top-tier cast and the payoff of a well-made production What pushed the quality of the work to its peak was the actors’ performances. Fueled by the fresh acting chemistry between Choi Min-sik and Choi Hyun-woo, who anchor the series, the drama also heightened its overall density as seasoned performers trusted by name alone—including Jun Ho Heo, Yoon-jin Kim, Kyung Jin and Jeong-hee Moon—came together in standout turns. With carefully woven emotional arcs for a wide range of characters and high-density directing, 〈The Boy at the Back Row〉, which settled into the Netflix global upper tier right after release, has drawn major attention from the global entertainment industry to the long-run hit records it will write going forward.