SEOUL: Squid Game knocks Bridgerton off Netflix top spot

SEOUL: We all knew it was coming, but
now it’s official: Squid Game has become Netflix’s biggest ever series launch.

The
Korean drama was watched by 111 million users in its first 28 days, knocking
Bridgerton (82 million) off the top spot.

Netflix
counts a view as anyone who’s watched two minutes of an episode.

Netflix’s
vice president for content in Korea, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand
says the show’s success is “beyond our wildest dreams”.

Minyoung
Kim told CNN: “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.

“Today,
Squid Game has broken through beyond our wildest dreams.”

The
nine-part series, which debuted in September, tells the story of a group of
misfits taking part in a series of children’s playground games.

There’s a
prize of 45.6bn Korean won (£28m) up for grabs, which doesn’t sound too bad
until you realise if you lose, you get killed.

From
celebrities to sports stars, everyone’s been talking about Squid Game.

The show’s
actors have shot to international fame – Jung Ho-yeon, who plays Sae-byeok, has
gained 14 million Instagram followers since it launched on 17 September, Forbes says.

So what’s
the secret to the drama’s success?

Warning –
the rest of this article contains some mild spoilers…

Why is Squid Game so popular?

Similar
in some ways to The Hunger Games, or the 2000 movie Battle Royale, the show
focuses on a group of people in South Korea desperately in debt.

They’re
first tricked (then volunteer) into playing a deadly tournament of children’s
games, realising this may be their only chance to win the money they need to
survive.

Chloe
Henry is a fan of Korean shows and says Squid Game stands out from the others.

“It’s
not something that’s been done before,” the 26-year-old from Sheffield
tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

“With
other shows, you can guess what’s going to happen whereas this one is more
‘wow’ – a shock that you weren’t expecting.”

She feels
the characters and intense acting keep you connected to the show.

“The
actor who plays Seong Gi-hun, his emotion was so raw and it was so interesting
to watch.”

Seong
Gi-hun is a loveable gambling addict with huge debts and facing the loss of his
daughter. He’s the show’s main character.

Chloe
says the drama also gives viewers a different perception of South Korea.

“People
in general think of South Korea as a big flash country with a lot of rich
people, so it’s nice to see the other side that is not really spoken about,
like the struggle and poverty.”

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Korean
influence has grown massively in the UK.

People
here Googled Korea-related topics in October more than ever before, according to Google Trends data, and last month the Oxford English Dictionary added 26 new words of Korean origin to its latest
edition to ride “the crest of the Korean wave”.

As in the
Oscar-winning Korean film, Parasite, the hardship seen in Squid Game is what
makes it appealing to an international audience, says Dr Hye-Kyung Lee – who’s
researching the rise of K-drama and K-pop at King’s College London.

“These
dramas or films are entertaining, and they have something unique which can
strike a chord with people around the world.

“They
present a critique of society and social economic conditions, which people can
relate to through the characters.”

Dr Lee
says other Korean dramas do touch on issues of society, economy and politics,
but Squid Game has been far more direct in its approach.

“It’s
serious, the message is extreme and I think that reflects what’s happening
right now.”

The
violence, which means the show’s not recommended for anyone under the age of
15, is part of Squid Game’s appeal for Chloe.

“Other
Korean shows can be quite modest, they don’t show blood, nudity and they blur
out weapons.

“It’s
nice to be able see things and be unexpected.”