Netflix’s dystopian South Korean drama Squid Game has amassed 111 million viewers in the four weeks since its release, the streaming giant said on Tuesday.
The record-breaking viral video shows an alternate universe where disadvantaged individuals are forced to compete in activities meant for children.
Losers are executed while winners may walk away with millions of dollars.
Squid Game has topped Netflix rankings in over 80 countries after becoming viral through word-of-mouth, particularly social media.
A record-breaking 111 million people have watched Squid Game, making it Netflix’s largest series premiere ever.
Netflix’s internal measure includes every account that viewed an episode for at least two minutes and found that Regency romp Bridgerton debuted to 82 million homes.
Following in the footsteps of K-pop band BTS and Oscar-winning film Parasite, the popularity of Squid Game demonstrates South Korea’s growing outsized impact on worldwide popular culture
Netflix’s efforts to create more foreign and non-English language content continue to bear fruit. Lupin, a French-language anime series, debuted as the third most popular series on the streaming service.
To reach a broader audience, Netflix has dubbed and subtitled versions of Squid Game available in various languages.
An estimated $500 million will be spent on Korean programmes and films by the world’s most popular streaming service this year alone.
