Netflix's latest Korean dystopian drama Squid Game has officially become the streaming service’s biggest series launch ever. While this news was expected by many fans, especially with several Netflix officials anticipating a similar outcome, it has now been confirmed by the streamer itself.
Netflix revealed that Squid Game had been viewed by 111 million households since its launch on September 17. The number was reached in less than a month after its premiere and makes it the most consumed show upon launch on the streaming service.
The violent series Squid Game had become very popular over the past few weeks, competing with the likes of other Netflix originals The Witcher and Stranger Things. However, with the number of views it has received since launch, it is now more watched than Bridgerton, which previously held the record for most-viewed Netflix original series upon launch with 82 million views in 28 days. Netflix measures the views based on any subscriber account watching an episode of a specific series for at least two minutes. The data that has been released by the streamer for Squid Game means that 111 million accounts tuned in to watch at least the first two minutes of the first episode. There is no way to tell how many of those accounts continued watching the episode, or the series.
The dystopian Korean drama narrates the story of 456 people participating in children’s games to win billions of Korean won as prize money. The nine-episode series begins with a focus on the protagonist Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, arriving at an off-the-grid island to participate in a series of games due to his financial situation. All the players are in desperate scenarios, with large debts to their name. However, they soon realize that losing a game means being killed instantly.
The popular series Squid Game has led to several memes being shared on social media, cosplayers posting their take on the different character costumes, and videos recreating the popular children’s games in real life. It has also brought back the debate in South Korean society over socio-economic classes and turned the world’s attention toward their culture and language. Many other Korean dramas on Netflix have been popular among foreign audiences, but none have managed to capture their attention on the same level as Squid Game.
Squid Game is streaming on Netflix.
Source: Netflix/Twitter