Ma Dong-seok-produced 'Baekse Apartment' hits Netflix Top 5 over a year after flopping in theaters

Baekse Apartment landed on Netflix on the 5th and has already climbed to No. 5 on the platform's domestic Korean film TOP 10. During its theatrical run in February of last year, the film pulled only 43,369 cumulative admissions—well short of its roughly 150,000-viewer break-even point.

As of the 12th, the film holds an 8.3 rating on Naver.

The 97-minute mystery comedy follows Geoul (Gyeong Su-jin), an unemployed woman with a strong sense of justice who moves into Baekse Apartment and begins investigating a mysterious inter-floor noise that sounds every day at 4 AM. The script is adapted from a winning entry in the 2020 Korean Film Council Scenario Competition. Director Lee Roo-da makes her feature debut here.

It's also Gyeong Su-jin's first lead role in a commercial film. Producer Ma Dong-seok, who founded Big Punch Pictures in 2018, cast her because he considers her "an actress who acts well and has excellent character," and credited her with leading the production steadily.

Go Gyu-pil plays resident Gyeong-seok and handles much of the comedy. Kim Ju-ryeong, Choi Yu-jeong, Park Jung-hak, and Bae Jae-young round out the ensemble as neighbors—a women's association chairperson, a YouTuber, a shaman, a civil service exam student, and a religious follower. Lee Ji-hoon plays Doo-on, a lawyer and Geoul's younger sibling. Cha Woo-jin plays police officer Sae-on.

Ma, whose producing credits include the Crime City series and Pressure: Beauty Surgery, said of the project: "There must be good drama that audiences can immerse themselves in so that action, comedy, and actors' performances shine."