ZEBE WON and CORTEUS in a fainting 'Hide-and-Seek'.. Is Mnet Plus establishing itself as a 'Horror IP'? [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The MZ generation and Alpha generation have recently shown growing interest in 'horror content'. Could this be the psychological desire to step into an 'unknown realm' in a world flooded with abundant information?

This year alone, the domestic horror film 'Salmokji', released in April, attracted over 3 million viewers, while the U.S. horror film 'The Backrooms', released in May, recorded over 1.2 million admissions (domestic records, Movie Ticket Integrated Computer Network). MBC's 'Late Night Ghost Stories' has continued broadcasting through Season 6 from 2021 to the present, solidifying its position as a Ji Sang-pa (CEO) horror program.

The next contender is Mnet Plus original content 'Hide-and-Seek', which opened last year and is rapidly gaining word-of-mouth attention up to Season 2 this year. 'Hide-and-Seek' is a 4,444-second hide-and-seek game where K-pop idol groups and an unidentified entity play tag in dark nights within unfamiliar spaces. While 'Late Night Ghost Stories' creates fear through storytelling, 'Hide-and-Seek' offers another layer of entertainment through the participants' experiences, realistic reactions, and survival-style format.

If Season 1 of 'Hide-and-Seek' built tension centered on intuitive fears such as unseen entities in darkness, Season 2 has been upgraded by adding 'urban legends' that many have heard at least once. Notably, actor Lee Jung-hyun joined as a storyteller, raising immersion by setting the condition for players to become characters within the ghost stories and escape from unknown spaces. With massive location filming and solid storytelling, it gives the feeling of being sucked into the story itself.

The cast lineup is also dazzling, appealing to both K-pop fans and the general public. In Season 1, TREASURE, NCT WISH, Rise, ZEROBASEONE, Tomorrow X Together, All Day Project, TOURS, and Boy Next Door appeared. In Season 2, CORTEUS, Alpha Drive One, and ZEROBASEONE have been revealed as part of the lineup so far.

'Hide-and-Seek' is Mnet Plus's first original variety show. Since its initial release in March 2025, it has achieved impressive results: total views of Season 1 reached 14 million, and unique users for the single IP surpassed 2 million.

The first episode of 'Hide-and-Seek 2', featuring CORTEUS as the first player, aired on July 31 and was watched in 206 regions worldwide, recording over seven times the membership contribution compared to the previous season. Including social media, cumulative total views approached 20 million by the third day, and related keywords ranked high on X's real-time trends, confirming its global buzz. The second player episode featuring Alpha Drive One also achieved high popularity, ranking among the top 1 and 2 in South Korea and globally within Mnet Plus.

The first episode of 'Hide-and-Seek 2' featured ghost stories related to a water ghost at a fishing spot, while the second episode plunged participants into urban legends reminiscent of red masks in neighborhoods. 'Hide-and-Seek' plans to expand its horror universe with future episodes built around familiar themes such as mountain lodges and hide-and-seek games that everyone has likely heard of at least once.

Interest is growing regarding how much global impact 'Hide-and-Seek' will have as a representative IP of Mnet Plus original content.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original