The hit horror-thriller series Gannibal, which centers on a remote village’s secret tradition of eating children alive, was always an unlikely choice as Disney’s first big-budget, live-action streaming series produced in Japan, a country with deep ties to the House of Mouse’s classic, family-friendly brand. Production of the show’s first two seasons also ran over schedule and over budget — but Disney’s big bet on the series appears to be paying off.

Gannibal has become Disney+’s most-viewed title in Japan since the launch of its second season on March 19, and it surpassed 1 million hours streamed within just nine days of release, a new record for the service in the country (in the U.S., Gannibal streams exclusively on Hulu).

“To be fully transparent, it did take us by surprise when this IP was first offered to us,” says Gaku Narita, Disney’s executive director of original content in Japan.