TikTok-like microdramas are going to make billions this year, even though they kind of suck

Summary

Emily is a college student by day, but she works the night shift at the strip club to pay her tuition – she doesn’t think anyone will find out her secret, until one day, her mysterious English teacher shows up! Did he recognize her? Will her secret get out? Pay 60 “tokens” to see what happens next, or you can watch an ad, or… just buy a VIP pass for $20 per week and skip the ads altogether. These stories are pulpy and exaggerated, bursting with cringeworthy acting and writing. Yet these “microdramas” – TikTok-like shows with episodes about a minute long – are making billions of dollars a year. First popular in China, microdrama apps are poised to have a breakout year in the U.S. app market. According to the app intelligence firm Appfigures, ReelShort reached roughly $1.2 billion in gross consumer spending in 2025, up 119% from 2024; another leading app, DramaBox, made $276 million in gross consumer spending last year, more than doubling its 2024 numbers. The market doesn’t appear to be slowing down. TikTok just launched its own standalone microdrama app called PineDrama, and a new app from Hollywood veterans called GammaTime just raised $14 million, including checks from angel investors like Alexis Ohanian, Kris Jenner, and Kim Kardashian. Image Credits:Appfigures Intelligence It’s surprising to see short-form, scripted drama apps achieve such success when we’re only five years removed from the implosion of Quibi. Quibi wanted to be like Netflix, but with ten-minute episodes that were designed to be watched on the go. Founded by Dreamworks co-founder and former Disney chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, Quibi raised more than $1.75 billion in funding from major Hollywood studios, then created shows with stars like Liam Hemsworth, Reese Witherspoon, and Anna Kendrick. No one wanted Quibi, and the app turned into a punchline because of how massively it flopped. But ReelShort –- an app whose top shows are called “My Sister is the Warlord Queen” and “In Love with a Single Farmer-...