While it may feel totally redundant to re-litigate the many merits of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite nearly nine weeks after snagging four Oscars, it’s still pretty incredible to watch the film reach new milestones and further cement its impressive legacy. For example: Just one week after its Hulu debut, the Academy’s Best Film pick is now the most streamed independent or foreign language film on the platform, according to IndieWire. It’s also the second most-watched movie ever out of Hulu’s current slate of available titles, outperforming other critical hits like A Quiet Place, which has been available to stream for months.
Parasite’s notable success on the streaming hub tails a winding list of records that stem from its 2019 Cannes premiere, where it became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d’Or. After an exceptional theatrical run, the film made history again at the Academy Awards, securing South Korea’s first-ever nominations and unprecedented (only because the Oscars tends to get this kind of thing wrong) wins in the night’s biggest categories. But even if it wasn’t still managing to find inventive ways to make history, it still remains a damn good film and a decent distraction from the current state of things. That’s probably why Hulu took the time to respond to dissenters who continue to discredit the film simply because it isn’t in English, as it should.