“Head over Heels,” the debut drama from Dexter Pictures (directed by Kim Yong-wan, written by Yang Ji-hoon, planned by CJ ENM, and produced by Studio Dragon, Dexter Pictures, and EO Contents Group), is garnering enthusiastic responses both at home and abroad, marking a strong global presence.
Dexter Pictures, a content-focused production company led by CEO Kim Dong-hyun and a subsidiary of Dexter Studios (stock code 206560), spearheaded the drama’s planning and production. The series launched impressively, achieving a 4.3% viewership rating for its first episode. Since then, Head over Heels has consistently topped its time slot across cable and general programming channels. Thanks to its captivating characters and surprising plot twists, it holds an all-time high nationwide average rating of 4.8% and peaked at 5.9%, according to Nielsen Korea’s paid platform data.
Head over Heels is not only popular domestically but also enjoying strong global acclaim. On July 16, the global OTT viewing ranking site FlixPatrol ranked Head over Heels 3rd worldwide in the Amazon Prime Video TV shows category, which includes both English and non-English content. The drama claimed the number one spot in eight countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Egypt. It also entered the Top 10 in a total of 35 countries, such as France, Italy, Finland, and India, captivating viewers worldwide.
According to the official platform FunDex by Good Data Corporation, Head over Heels topped the integrated TV-OTT category for two consecutive weeks in the third week of July. In the cast buzz rankings, lead actors Choo Young-woo and Cho Yi-hyun ranked first and second, respectively. The series has surpassed 240 million cumulative digital views and has held the number one spot in TVing’s Top 10 content for three consecutive weeks (from July 1 to 15), demonstrating its extraordinary popularity.
The outstanding success of Head over Heels clearly reflects the synergy within the Dexter Group, drawing significant attention. Dexter Pictures, which led the planning and production, crafted a dual salvation romance that blends Korea’s occult elements with a modern sensibility, woven into a fearless love story of youth. Building on the original work’s universe, they adapted the story to introduce new characters such as Yeomhwa (played by Chu Ja-hyun) and the evil spirit Bongsu (played by Choo Young-woo), delivering unexpected plot twists and fresh entertainment that showcase Dexter Pictures’ strong planning capabilities. As the series progresses, the cast – Park Seong-ah (Jo Yi-hyun), Bae Gyeon-woo (Choo Young-woo), and Pyo Ji-ho (Cha Kang-yoon) – demonstrates increasingly solid acting skills and deepening chemistry, highlighting Dexter Pictures’ keen eye for assembling the next generation of leading K-drama stars.
The genre world of Head over Heels, featuring a variety of distinctive “K-spirits” such as water ghosts, fire ghosts, baby spirits, and puppy spirits, achieved high completion thanks to Dexter Studios’ extensive expertise in building fantasy universes across numerous projects. Given the show’s focus on shamanism, it incorporated various occult elements like curses and ghosts. Dexter Studios’ VFX Division and DI Division took charge of the visual effects and color grading, delivering thrilling tension and captivating immersion.
Dexter Studios applied its AI technology to the war scenes that depict the trauma of Bongsu, a key character in the story. Several scenes that vividly show the horrors of war, including gunfire and artillery bombardment, were created entirely without live-action filming. Instead, they used a generative AI module developed by Dexter Studios’ research and development lab. This demonstrated AI production capabilities that are ready for direct use in commercial content. It also showed how AI technology improved both the efficiency and the quality of the drama’s production.
Kim Dong-hyun, CEO of Dexter Pictures, said, “Head over Heels, a romance drama infused with the fantasy element of an MZ-generation shaman, clearly showcases the synergy within the Dexter Group. Building on the remarkable success of our first drama, we plan to present a variety of genre works based on excellent IPs, including the live-action adaptation of the original animation Meoteoldosa, the Korea-Japan co-produced fantasy romance ‘Dive Into You,’ and the human action drama ‘Risejong,’ an original Dexter IP currently in preparation.”
Meanwhile, Head over Heels, planned and produced by Dexter Pictures, is about to air its 11th episode and will be broadcast on tvN at 8:50 p.m. on July 28 (Monday).
ⓒtvN Head over Heels
