Netflix
smash hit Squid Game blends a tight plot, social allegory and
uncompromising violence to create the latest South Korean cultural
phenomenon to go global.
Photograph: Youngkyu Park/Netflix/AFP/Getty Images
Agence France-Presse
Wed 13 Oct 2021 02.43 BST
Dystopian
South Korean drama Squid Game has become Netflix’s most popular series
ever, drawing 111 million fans since its debut less than four weeks ago,
the streaming service said Tuesday.
The
unprecedented global viral hit imagines a macabre world in which
marginalised people are pitted against one another in traditional
children’s games. While the victor can earn millions in cash, losing
players are killed.
Spreading around the world by word of mouth, especially via social media,
Squid Game
has topped Netflix charts in more than 80 countries.
“Squid Game has officially reached 111 million fans – making it our biggest series launch ever!” tweeted
Netflix
.
By
comparison, Regency romp Bridgerton reached 82m households on debut,
using Netflix’s internal metric which includes any account that watched
an episode for at least two minutes.
The
success of Squid Game amplifies South Korea’s increasingly outsized
influence on global popular culture, following the likes of K-pop band
BTS and Oscar-winning movie Parasite.
It is
also the latest success for Netflix’s bid to produce more international
and non-English language content. The streamer’s third most-watched
series debut, for instance, is French-language Lupin.
Netflix offers Squid Game in both dubbed and subtitled versions in multiple languages, expanding its potential audience.
In
February, the world’s most popular streaming platform announced plans
to spend $500m this year alone on series and films produced in South
Korea.
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