Netflix's smash success, Squid Game, has reached nearly 2 billion minutes watched. The series, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, began streaming on Netflix on September 17. It was almost immediately a hit. The show gathered word of mouth after its first weekend and eventually claimed the number one spot on Netflix within its first ten days on the site. This makes Squid Game the first Korean show to top Netflix's top ten list. Netflix estimated that the show had over 142 million viewers in its first 28 days, which surpasses the previous record holder, Bridgerton.
The South Korean show follows hundreds of cash-strapped contestants who accept a mysterious invitation to participate in children's games. The players soon realize there is a deadly penalty if they lose. The series gained both critical and audience acclaim for its depiction of themes such as capitalism and class struggle. Now, the show has been reported to have reached a new milestone.
THR has reported that Squid Game has now drawn 1.91 billion minutes of viewing time. These astounding numbers show an increase of over nine times from its previous week of streaming. Netflix has now begun praising the show as their most-watched television debut to date, despite the fact that the series looked like it might be a slow starter in its first few days. The streamer recently estimated that Squid Game will create nearly $900 million dollars in value to the company.
It seems Netflix would be hard pressed to find better advertising than word of mouth. Reportedly, a large amount of the series' success is due to how many viewers have taken to TikTok and Twitter, and users are not only going to share their thoughts. On TikTok, many users have been using the platform to recreate the games depicted in the show. Indeed, while Netflix did not have much hope for the show outside of South Korea, the connectivity of social media has ensured that viewers all over the world are talking about Squid Game. In fact, two-thirds of Squid Game's viewership is multi-cultural.
In an age where social media is constantly growing and most people have been locked in their homes, it is very likely the world will begin to see much more content like Squid Game. With the world as interconnected as it currently is, the door has been left open for many films and television series to make their way to Netflix's Top 10. Couple the interconnectivity with the fact that sites like Netflix can deliver the content right to viewers with dubs and subtitles in over thirty languages, and suddenly a show from anywhere can be the next big hit. No one knows from which part of the world the next big hit will come from, but with audiences hungry to discuss more unique and original content, it could be from anywhere.
Source: THR