The cultural Korean wave continues to dominate worldwide as the runaway Netflix hit series "Squid Game" was toppled from the top spot as the most-watched series on the streaming platform on Saturday, Nov. 20, by another South Korean show, "Hellbound."
"Hellbound," whose pilot premiered in the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, overtook "Squid Game" as it received the highest streaming ratings in over 80 different countries since Nov. 20, according to the Express Tribune.
"Squid Game," which has spent over 46 nonconsecutive days on the top of the most-watched shows on streaming, generated over $900 million in revenue for Netflix and was reportedly viewed by over 142 million people worldwide in its first four weeks, the Guardian reported.
While "Squid Game" is a show about poor individuals battling each other in twisted versions of children’s games for the chance of raising money for themselves. Meanwhile "Hellbound" is an effects-heavy horror show about a team of otherworldly demons who are hunting down sinners that were informed of when they will die, the New York Post reported.
“These supernatural events cause great mayhem and enable the religious group The New Truth to grow in influence. A few people, however, become suspicious about its activities and begin investigating its involvement in mysterious events,” a Netflix description of the show said.
The United States has been experiencing a renewed fascination with South Korean culture, allowing artists like BTS to experience music chart dominance or films like Bong Joon-ho’s "Parasite" to win major awards like Best Picture in 2019.
Netflix has invested heavily in South Korean content in the hopes that they will resonate with a larger group of viewers, giving them hit shows like "Squid Game" which has been credited with helping sustain their subscriber growth goals.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of the "Squid Game" series, confirms that a second season is currently in the pipeline.
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