Gong Yoo Beats Song Joong-Ki And Lee Min Ho With Record-Breaking New Series 'Goblin'
Gong Yoo's new fantasy series "Goblin" has beaten Song Joong-ki's "Descendants of the Sun" and giving Lee Min Ho's "The Legend of the Blue Sea" some tough competition.
Also known as "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," tvN's latest drama first aired December 2 but already it's smashing premiere ratings.
According to Soompi, Korean buzz tracking site Good Data Corporation revealed Monday that Gong's "Goblin" already reached 12,500 buzzworthy points in only its second week. This means it bested the KBS hit series, which took five weeks to garner the same score. More importantly, this means "Goblin" unseated the globally successful "Descendants of the Sun" as the top buzzworthy TV drama.
Another report from Mobile&Apps also revealed how "Goblin" unseated "The Legend of the Blue Sea" from the top spot for TV Hot Issue. "Goblin" garnered 7,449 points while "The Legend of the Blue Sea" received 4,315 points despite the anticipation for the comeback of Hallyu heartthrob Lee Min Ho.
In comparison, the "Descendants of the Sun" scored 5,518 points, "Answer Me 1988" hit 5,260 points and "Moonlight Drawn by Clouds" got 4,720 points.
It is believed that smart marketing and PR contributed to the show's quick climb to record-breaking success.
"Goblin" writer Kim Eun Sook, who was also behind the success of "Descendants of the Sun," "Heirs," "Gentleman's Dignity," and "Secret Garden," revealed during a press interview that she determined her new drama to be different from the rest.
"When I had a meeting with Kim Go Eun, I told her that this drama would be different [than the previous ones], that all of the characters would stand out," said Kim.
Gong, who consistently rejected Kim's casting offers for the past five years, thanked everyone after the initial broadcast.
"I was more nervous about this than a movie premiere," wrote the 37-year-old actor through social media.
He added, "The road ahead is long and sleepless, but please supports us so that the 'Goblin' team can continue to forge ahead without any accidents and with smiling faces."