Recently, romantic comedy movies continue to appear on Korean screens with the participation of many notable actors. On Netflix, "Our sticky love" starring Jung Hae In and Ha Young, released from August 7.
At the same time, Korean television also had more projects of the same genre. tvN's “My bias, My boss” stars Kim Hye Jun, Kang Hoon and Cha Woo Min, while “Dream to you” with Hyeri and Hwang In Yeop is airing on ENA.
The fact that many works belonging to the romantic comedy genre appear shows that this is still a genre that television stations and online platforms maintain and invest in.
Some projects continue to exploit familiar motifs to Korean movie audiences such as amnesia, office love, first love or casual encounters. These are also motifs that often appear in Korean romantic comedy films.
Among them, "Love Candy" is a noteworthy project with the participation of Jung Hae In - a male actor who has appeared in many Korean romantic movies such as "Beautiful Sister Buys Me Delicious Rice", "Spring Night", "Mom's Friend's Son"...
Notably, "Love Candy" recorded positive results in its first week of release. According to Netflix, the film reached 3.2 million views in its first week, ranking 5th in the category of most watched non-English TV series globally.
This achievement was recorded in the context of film promotional activities encountering obstacles after controversy related to Ha Young's family shares. After that, the actress and management company apologized, but some promotional activities with her participation were also canceled or adjusted.
In fact, along with the content, the cast continues to play an important role in the Korean film promotion strategy. The appearance of names with a stable fan base helps new projects receive attention before and after the release time.
In addition, romantic comedy films also have an advantage in the international market. Love stories with direct and accessible expressions help Korean films maintain a large audience in many Asian countries.
Previously, "Dynamite kiss" by Jang Ki Yong and Ahn Eun Jin recorded a gap between domestic and international achievements. The film achieved the highest viewership rating of 6.9% in Korea but once topped Netflix's global rankings in the non-English TV series group.
However, in the long run, exploiting familiar motifs also poses a problem about the sustainability of this genre. Formulas that have been used many times can make developments predictable, forcing producers to add new character lines and details to maintain audience interest.
