‘Squid Game’ Is Netflix’s Biggest Series Launch Ever
Just a few weeks ago, Netflix shared updated lists of their biggest movies and shows ever, based on several different metrics: One according to the total number of minutes that viewers consumed, and one based on the most accounts that watched at least two minutes of each movie or series in its first 28 days of release on Netflix. At the time, the biggest Netflix show ever was Bridgerton, which topped both lists. It had been viewed by 82 million Netflix accounts for a total of 625 million minutes.
Just a few weeks later, at least one of those lists is already out of date. The wildly popular word-of-mouth hit Squid Game is now Netflix’s biggest series launch ever. According to a tweet from the company, the show has already reached 111 million fans, a staggering number of viewers in a relatively brief amount of time.
The South Korean series, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, came out of nowhere to capture the imagination of Netflix audiences around the world. Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos said recently that the company “did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity.” Despite the show’s wild viewership numbers now, it took Hwang more than a decade to get Squid Game made; he first conceived the project back in 2008 and struggled for years to find someone to finance the concept of 456 people battling it out in a series of life-or-death games with a huge cash prize on the line. Netflix finally bought the rights to the material in 2019. And you can bet they are very happy they did.
All nine episodes of Squid Game are now streaming on Netflix.