Netflix Blockbuster Costing $52 Million In Production Struggles Against Meme-Filled "Culinary Class Wars"

From mind-blowing cooking skills to meme-perfect moments, Netflix‘s competition program, Culinary Class Wars, is keeping viewers hooked. Against the heated cook-offs, though, one highly-anticipated blockbuster struggling to top its previous season’s records.

how to stand out among 100 chefs:#CulinaryClassWars #Netflix pic.twitter.com/W2NF1VPYn4

— Netflix K-Content (@netflixkcontent) September 18, 2024

Gyeongseong Creature Season 2, released on Netflix on September 27, 2024, recorded 3.1 million views and placed second in the non-English TV series category rankings.

Given the star-studded cast and a production cost reported to be a whopping ₩70.0 billion KRW (about $52.0 million USD), some are expressing disappointment over its performance.

GYTkob9akAIZOCI — The cast of “Gyeongseong Creature Season 2” | *@netflixkcontent/X*

In addition to the competition from the kitchen, viewers pointed out the gaping holes in the plot, the lack of depth in fleshing out the characters, and the sudden switch to romance all contributed to the dip in viewership.

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In response to the struggle, Gyeongseong Creature director Jung Dong Yoon stated in a media interview that the competition—and how it affected the rankings—don’t bother him.

Due to the differences in genre, I don’t find the comparison to Culinary Class Wars unappealing. I personally enjoy watching that show very much. So I can only hope both do well together. I’m not concerned about the rankings.

— Jung Dong Yoon

Will the upcoming grand finale of Culinary Class Wars give Gyeongseong Creature Season 2 a chance to reclaim the throne? Only time will tell.

Watch the official trailer for Gyeongseong Creature Season 2 below.