Chongqing- A time-traveling Chinese micro-drama about a 1950s professor reborn as an 18-year-old girl in 2025 has taken both domestic and international audiences by storm. The drama, "Reborn at 18: The Great-Grandma Takes Charge," has become a viral hit amid the global rise of short-form video storytelling.

The poster of Reborn at 18: The Great-Grandma Takes Charge. (Poster/FlickReels)

According to DataEye Research Institute, the drama garnered over 500,000 bookmarks on its first day of launch on Hongguo, a ByteDance-owned short drama platform. Within five days, it amassed over 2 billion topic views on Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok.

The drama was localized into five languages—Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, and Indonesian —each featuring distinct title adaptations. ADX overseas data revealed notable differences in translation approaches. 

The Japanese version aligns with popular Japanese reincarnation narratives, while the Indonesian title simplified the family role and narrative goal, replacing "great-grandmother" with "grandmother" and translating "restore family honor" to "family revival." The English title emphasizes the protagonist's age, familial role, and mission.

DataEye Research Institute attributed these translation choices to cultural and market-specific factors. Despite differences, all versions retained the central theme of "identity contrast," underlining the show's appeal across diverse markets.

Following its overseas release on June 4, downloads and revenue on the streaming platform FlickReels rose sharply. 

Some of the micro-dramas featured on the FlickReels platform. (Photo/FlickReels)

A report published by DataEye on August 4 highlighted the strong momentum of overseas micro-drama platforms. In the first half of 2025, global micro-drama app in-app purchase revenue reached $1.08 billion, with 665 million downloads. Compared to the same period in 2024, in-app purchase revenue rose by 158%.

Public data shows that while the global short video user base is approaching two billion, the number of potential micro-drama users is estimated to be 900 million. Currently, only 80 million monthly active users engage with micro-dramas, which is less than 10% of the potential market. According to DataEye, this indicates significant growth opportunities, as the market is still in an early penetration stage.

Growth was most pronounced in Southeast Asia, which contributed over 10% of in-app revenue, a 2.1-fold increase from 4% in late 2024. With the global expansion of short drama applications, DataEye forecasts that Latin America, the Middle East, and India will be key focus markets in the latter half of 2025.

Cecilia, head of Crazy Stone Studio LLC and executive producer, observed a significant shift in U.S. industry attitudes toward short dramas. "Last year, many traditional U.S. film professionals dismissed short dramas as low-quality. This year, they are embracing them as a major trend," she said. "In Atlanta, many local producers have approached us to collaborate."

She noted increased competition among overseas platforms. "Some smaller or slower-growing platforms are considering pivoting or exiting, while others are merging resources for renewed attempts," she said.

In the first half of 2025, 309 micro-drama apps were active overseas, according to DataEye-ADX. The top 20 apps accounted for 78% of total downloads, while the top 25 earned nearly 60% of all in-app revenue. ReelShort and DramaBox led the market with in-app revenues of $226 million and $184 million, respectively, creating a duopoly.

DataEye reported that foreign audiences are more receptive to LGBTQ+ content, allowing for a broader creative scope. Viewer preferences vary: East Asian audiences prefer idol and CEO characters; Western audiences favor double male or female leads in genres like crime or sports; and Middle Eastern and Indian audiences lean toward elder or religious family figures.

Regarding cross-cultural writing, Cecilia explained their collaborative writer's room model. "We paired two foreign screenwriters- one from the Harry Potter team and another from the University of Southern California- with a bilingual Chinese screenwriter leading local writers," she said. Foreign writers focused on local story strengths, while Chinese writers ensured proper pacing and production feasibility.

Director Liu Yuecheng noted China's mature short drama ecosystem and its foundation for global expansion. "The vast global user base of Chinese web novels has prepared audiences for short dramas," Liu said, emphasizing their shared story elements.

As short dramas gain ground worldwide, they may offer a subtle avenue for spreading Chinese culture. "Global viewers resonate with emotional storytelling," said Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research. "In short dramas, both Chinese and overseas users find emotional value and the feeling of dreams fulfilled."

Producer Lin Leiqi, based in Latin America, added, "While emotional dramas dominate now, we plan to integrate traditional Chinese culture into future short dramas so the world can understand China more deeply."