The release of Squid Game season two has reignited interest in the first season, which ranked third among non-English series during the week of December 23–29. It amassed 8.1 million views globally (67.1 million hours watched), sitting just behind the Norwegian miniseries La Palma with 12.2 million views.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, season two of Squid Game is off to an explosive start. Within four days of its December 26 premiere, it accumulated 68 million views, calculated from a total of 487.6 million hours watched divided by its 7-hour, 10-minute runtime. This debut shattered the record previously held by Wednesday, which reached 50.1 million views in its first week in November 2022.
Season two’s rapid success has already earned it a spot on Netflix’s all-time top 10 list for non-English language series, currently ranking seventh just behind part two of Lupin, which has 68.4 million views. With another strong week, it’s expected to climb to second place, trailing only the groundbreaking first season.
The original season of Squid Game remains Netflix’s most-watched series ever, accumulating an astounding 265.2 million views in its first 91 days. In just four days, season two has already covered over 25% of that total. During its premiere week, it topped Netflix rankings in 92 out of 93 tracked countries, with the United States being the only exception due to two NFL Christmas Day broadcasts outperforming it.
Set two years after the events of season one, the second season follows Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae (Hunt, New World), as he returns to the brutal competition to confront those responsible for the deadly games, including the mysterious Front Man, played by Lee Byung-hun (A Bittersweet Life). Series creator and showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk (Silenced, The Fortress) has confirmed that the story will conclude with third season, set to debut next year.
Season two of Squid Game solidifies its status as a worldwide phenomenon with its captivating plot and unprecedented viewership numbers.