Yahoo Finance Squid Game Has Netflix's 'Biggest Series Launch Ever' with 111 Million Viewers
Netflix
Fans can't get enough of Squid Game –– so much so that it is now Netflix's top show.
The production company announced on Twitter Tuesday that the Korean show reached Netflix's "biggest series launch ever" with 111 million viewers, surpassing Bridgerton.
Netflix, which famously releases only certain viewership metrics and data, included a fun video to go along with the announcement, with the show's announcer thanking viewers for the support.
"I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to you all," the announcer says in the video, over visuals from the show. "111 million of you have joined the ranks of the VIPs, making Squid Game our No. 1 show in the world."
"And for the rest of you," the announcer continued, "will you seize the opportunity to join the game?"
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The gory thriller ranked as the No. 1 show worldwide on the streaming service late last month, according to Variety. Squid Game was released on Sept. 17 and, just two days later, entered the top 10 shows globally. The next day, it was at No. 2 before taking the No. 1 spot on Sept. 21.
"We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity," Ted Sarandos, Netflix's co-CEO and chief content officer, told Variety last month.
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The Netflix series to previously hold the top spot, according to the streamer, was Bridgerton, with 82 million viewers as of this past January after the Shonda Rhimes period drama was released on Christmas Day 2020.
Squid Game's writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk previously opened up to Variety about the difficult process of writing the show, and whether or not he will make a second season, given the first one's success.
"I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we've all met in real life," he said. "As a survival game, it is entertainment and human drama. The games portrayed are extremely simple and easy to understand. That allows viewers to focus on the characters, rather than being distracted by trying to interpret the rules."
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Similar concepts have played out in popular titles such as the Hunger Games franchise as well as the Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Running Man, based on a novel by Stephen King.
Dong-hyuk also told Variety, "I don't have well-developed plans for Squid Game 2. It is quite tiring just thinking about it. But if I were to do it, I would certainly not do it alone. I'd consider using a writers' room and would want multiple experienced directors."
