Netflix’s ‘biggest ever’ series launch: ‘Squid Game’
Photo provided by Netflix Korea's Instagram post
Eerie oversized doll in the first episode, referenced in Little Known fact No. 1.
October 14, 2021
Since its Sept. 17 premiere on Netflix, the dystopian series, in which competitors in desperate need of money play dangerous children’s games to earn a life-altering amount of money, has been viewed by 111 million accounts on the streaming service.
In addition, “Squid Game” is No. 1 on Netflix’s top 10 lists in 94 countries around the world. The series surpasses Netflix’s former most popular original series by 29 million viewers, even more, impressive considering it did so in the first 28 days of its release.
The success of “Squid Game” as well as its 209 million subscribers shows that Netflix is beyond capable of reaching audiences worldwide. Similar to many of the services top shows, “Squid Game” has become the center of top social media platforms such as TikTok, Twitter and Instagram. There are already Halloween costumes on the market for anyone who had aspirations to partake in the games. There is even a real-life version of “Squid Game” being held by a South Korean hotel. St. John’s Hotel is hosting the event, minus the killing, where the winner will receive $5 million won ($4,178), which is far less than the prize money on the show. The Korean Times reports that the event will consist of four games featured in the show and is already fully booked. This Netflix series has undoubtedly taken the world by storm as Netflix continues to prove its success not only in the U.S. but around the world.
“When we first started investing in Korean series and films in 2015, we knew we wanted to make world-class stories for the core K-content fans across Asia and the world,” said Minyoung Kim, Netflix’s vice president of content for the Asia Pacific, excluding India. “Today, Squid Game has broken through beyond our wildest dreams. ‘Squid Game’ gave [Netflix] more confidence that our global strategy is going towards the right direction.”
Little Known Facts About The Series:
- The eerie oversized doll from the first episode of the show is real and can be found in Jincheon County, a rural area around three hours north of Seoul.
- The guards were originally supposed to wear Boy Scout uniforms.
- Director Hwang began writing the script in 2008.
