‘Number One’ Starring Choi Woo Sik and Jang Hye Jin Hits No. 1 on Netflix Just One Day After Release Following Theatrical Run

'Number One' climbed to the top of Netflix’s movie rankings just one day after its release, drawing major attention.

The film is 'Number One,' starring Choi Woo Sik, Jang Hye Jin, and Gong Seung Yeon. Released on Netflix on May 18, the movie immediately rose to No. 1 on Netflix Korea’s Top 10 Movies chart by May 19. The film had originally premiered in theaters on February 11 and reached the top spot on OTT platforms roughly three months after its theatrical debut.

What Is ‘Number One’ About?

'Number One' tells the story of Ha Min (Choi Woo Sik), who begins seeing mysterious numbers appear before his eyes whenever he eats meals cooked by his mother. He eventually discovers that when the number reaches zero, his mother Eun Sil (Jang Hye Jin) will die. In an effort to protect her, he starts avoiding home-cooked meals by making every excuse possible.

The movie is based on Japanese author Uwano Sora’s novel 'You Have 328 Chances Left to Eat Your Mother’s Home-Cooked Meals.' The film was directed by Kim Tae Yong. It has a runtime of 105 minutes and is rated suitable for viewers aged 12 and older.

The film also gained attention for its emotional ending credits sequence, which featured photos of the parents of cast members, staff, and audience participants.

Theatrical Performance Fell Short, But Word-of-Mouth Stayed Strong

The movie was produced on a relatively modest commercial film budget of 4 billion KRW. Its break-even point was estimated at 1.3 million admissions.

However, the film drew only around 280,000 moviegoers during its theatrical run, falling far short of profitability. Despite that, audience reception remained positive. It recorded ratings of 8.9 on Lotte Cinema, 8.2 on Megabox, and a CGV Egg Index score of 91%, showing strong satisfaction among viewers who actually watched the film.

Because the movie relied more on word-of-mouth than box office momentum during its theatrical release, it quickly demonstrated its staying power by claiming the No. 1 spot immediately after arriving on Netflix.

Reunion of the ‘Parasite’ Mother and Son

One of the biggest reasons the film generated buzz before release was its casting. Choi Woo Shik and Jang Hye Jin, who previously played mother and son in 'Parasite' directed by Bong Joon Ho, reunited in 'Number One' for another mother-son pairing.

Jang Hye Jin said during a press conference that her real-life son closely resembles Choi Woo Sik, which helped her immerse herself more deeply in the role.

Choi Woo Sik also shared in an interview, “Senior actress Jang Hye Jin’s tone of voice is exactly like my real mother’s. That made it easier for me to immerse myself while acting.”

Reflecting on their reunion after 'Parasite,' Choi Woo Sik said, “We were able to exchange much deeper emotional acting this time. In 'Parasite,' the chemistry focused more on the ensemble cast, but in this project, we shared many emotional scenes and conversations together, which made us feel even closer.”

The actor also opened up about his fears regarding emotional acting.

“I used to avoid filming sad scenes because I felt like I would fall into a swamp of emotions and become unhappy myself. But senior actress Hye Jin guided me so well that all I had to do was receive the emotions. Thanks to her, the acting came out naturally,” he said.

Choi Woo Sik Reunites With Director Kim Tae Yong After 10 Years

Choi Woo Sik also reunited with director Kim Tae Yong for the first time in about a decade since the film 'Set Me Free,' which earned him the Actor of the Year award at the Busan International Film Festival.

For this project, Choi Woo Shik said his biggest concern was performing in the Busan dialect.

“I think expressing emotions through dialect is an enormous challenge. The emotions, environment, and neighborhood atmosphere are all embedded in the way people speak, and I worried I wouldn’t be able to pull it off,” he explained. He added that he began taking dialect lessons one to two months before filming.

Jang Hye Jin Calls It a Film for Three Generations

During promotional interviews, Jang Hye Jin revealed that there was a time when she nearly gave up acting entirely.

“When I was thinking about quitting, I believed acting wasn’t my path. I felt like I wasn’t talented enough, and everywhere I went, there seemed to be so many people better than me,” she confessed.

After rising to global recognition through 'Parasite,' she has now become the lead of a Netflix No. 1 film.

Jang Hye Jin described the movie as “a great film for families to watch together during the holidays,” adding, “It’s a movie that grandparents, parents, and children can all enjoy together without strong differences in taste across generations.”

After launching VOD services on March 16 and officially debuting on Netflix on May 18, industry attention is now focused on whether 'Number One' can maintain its No. 1 momentum on OTT platforms.