4/12 episodes of "When the phone rings" have aired with average viewership ratings. In the last 2 episodes, the ratings were recorded at 6% and 5.7% respectively.
Although this is not a good achievement compared to works shown at the same time such as "The Enthusiastic Priest 2", "Da Rim Family"... but "When the Phone Rings" recorded a surprisingly high level of discussion.
In addition to entering the Netflix top 10 in more than 50 countries/regions, "When the Phone Rings" also rose to No. 1 on the weekly list of the most buzzworthy TV dramas, according to Good Data Corporation.
The two main actors also dominated the list of most discussed cast members, with Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin rising to No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
Not only on social networks in Korea but also in many Asian countries, including Vietnam, China..., posts about the acting, plot, and details of the movie "When the Phone Rings" are posted with good interactions.
Explaining the inverse ratio of "When the Phone Rings", the media said that the "domineering CEO" movie genre is not the taste of the majority of Korean audiences.
And in fact, cultural critic Hwang Jin Mi once commented: "A viewership rating of 5 to 6% in this context is considered successful" when today's young audiences have mainly switched to watching content on OTT (online).
On the other hand, before the film aired, the acting of the female lead Chae Soo Bin was also considered a big disadvantage, as she had played the main role in many films but besides her pure beauty, the Korean star's performance had not made much of an impression.
Another disadvantage is that recently, MBC's works have been somewhat unlucky and "inferior" in terms of viewership compared to KBS, SBS or tvN.
For example, the two previously aired films "The Death of Snow White" and "The Intimate Traitor" were highly appreciated for their content and acting, but their highest ratings could not reach double digits with achievements of 8.8% and 9.6% respectively.
Previously, at the press conference, the crew of the movie "When the Phone Rings" said that if the movie reaches a viewership rating of 20%, the actors will go camping together and appear on Yoo Yeon Seok's YouTube channel.
The male lead Yoo Yeon Seok himself expressed his confidence: "I also like 'The Fiery Priest 2' but our drama combines thriller and romance elements, bringing a new appeal." He also promised to live stream this event.
However, Yoo Yeon Seok and the crew's wishes are unlikely to come true with the current extended release schedule. Last week, the film was postponed due to "special news".
Episode 5 of the film is scheduled to air on the evening of December 13 with an extra 10 minutes. Meanwhile, episode 6 of the film is scheduled to air a week later (December 21). The same will happen with episode 7, scheduled to air on December 27.
If there are no changes in the schedule, viewers will watch the final episode of "When the Phone Rings" on January 11, 2025.
