Netflix Takes Victory Lap Through Seoul with Massive ‘Squid Game’ Parade

May all this actually be for one TV present?

On a moist, hazy evening in Seoul over the weekend, Netflix staged its most extravagant fan occasion so far — a full-scale victory parade celebrating the ultimate season of Squid Recreation, the candy-colored loss of life drama that is still the corporate’s most-watched title of all time.

Stretching practically a mile, the spectacle featured over 450 performers, airborne shows of Squid Recreation iconography, phalanxes of pink-suited guards, a brass marching band blasting the present’s eerie anthems, and a 25-foot-tall Younger-hee doll with laser beams taking pictures from its eyes. The procession started on the metropolis’s historic Gwanghwamun Gate and marched into Seoul Plaza, culminating in an enormous fan celebration starring Squid Recreation creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and 25 of the preferred forged members from throughout the present’s three seasons. Netflix says the occasion took practically a yr to arrange in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Authorities, and that the group surrounding the parade swelled to as many as 38,000.

On the bottom in Seoul, the second felt so improbably outsized that it was exhausting to not impute broader narratives to the spectacle. Maybe this was extra about Netflix lastly throwing itself a victory parade for its decisive conquer the legacy studios in what was as soon as cringingly known as “the streaming wars”? Or, considering “native first” — as Netflix at all times does with its worldwide content material technique — perhaps the Netflix emblem beaming over Seoul Metropolis Corridor was simply the pure finish level of a U.S. tech large’s full-scale takeover of the Korean leisure business, coyly disguised as an act of benevolence? At different moments within the night — which included immersive video projections, star Q&As, dance sequences, an a cappella rendition of the Squid Recreation theme, and the group continually going nuts — the celebration had the air of a raucous music competition. One the place each band and DJ was Squid Recreation.

Nonetheless jaundiced the angle of the only commerce reporter in attendance, although, the vibe among the many stars on stage and the legions of followers who turned out for the social gathering was purely joyous.

“This has been a five- or six-year journey for me and I’ve so many fond recollections,” Lee Jung-jae, who performs Squid Recreation protagonist Seong Gi-hun, aka Participant 456, mentioned from the stage. “I’ve been doing promotion and interviews in lots of international locations [these past weeks], however watching the parade simply now, it lastly began sinking in that that is the finale and it’s throughout,” he mentioned. “I’m very grateful.”

Actor Lee Byung-hun, who performs Squid Recreation‘s mysterious villain, the Entrance Man, mentioned he initially signed up for the mission believing he would simply be taking pictures a quick cameo to conclude the present’s first season. However after that season grew to become a world phenomenon, he realized his journey was simply starting.

“When seasons two and three had been greenlit, I noticed I needed to dig deep and perceive the position — and that’s after I fell in love with this character,” Lee mentioned. And though he’s been considered one of Korea’s largest stars for over twenty years, Lee mentioned the Netflix hit held particular significance in his lengthy profession. “Squid Recreation made historical past for Korean leisure and being a part of that has been an unimaginable honor,” he added.

Content material creator Brian Skabeche traveled from Mexico to South Korea for Saturday’s occasion. As soon as in Seoul, he participated in a contest of Squid Recreation-themed challenges with over 100 worldwide influencers and gained the glory of being amongst 20 to stroll within the parade in Younger-hee’s shadow.

“There are individuals who got here right here from everywhere in the world and it’s been a implausible expertise,” Skabeche instructed THR early within the evening. “One man instructed me he’s right here as a result of he likes the anti-capitalist message of Squid Recreation; different individuals are simply tremendous followers.”

Skabeche mentioned he had by no means skilled Korean content material earlier than Squid Recreation, however he fell in love with the present whereas bingeing it together with his sister, after she suffered an accident and was caught at dwelling recovering. “We each bought hooked and it grew to become this factor we bonded over,” he mentioned. Later, Skabeche created a YouTube video together with his influencer pals of their canines taking part in a mock model of Squid Recreation. The video was a success and gave his channel a major increase.

“It related me with Ok-content followers, who I realized are a very nice viewers,” he mentioned.

The size of Squid Recreation’s success is certainly unprecedented. Whereas Korean cinema had been constructing a cult following for the reason that early 2000s, and Ok-pop exploded into world view way back to 2012 with Psy’s satirical smash hit “Gangnam Model,” Squid Recreation astonished the world when its first season debuted on Netflix in September 2021. The present’s viewership began modestly, then snowballed into an natural regional hit earlier than exploding right into a bona fide world phenomenon. Inside weeks, it grew to become Netflix’s most-watched present of all time — a title it has by no means ceded. (Squid Recreation later additionally gained a pair of Emmys for its creator and star — a primary for the Korean business.)

The present’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has spoken movingly of his combined emotions about the best way his brutal satire of late-stage capitalism’s rapacious inhumanity has resonated so deeply with viewers world wide.

Netflix, naturally, has solely accelerated its funding in Korean leisure, carving out a decisive management place within the nation’s premium on-line video sector forward of Korea’s high native gamers. In 2023, the corporate pledged to take a position $2.5 billion in Korean content material over 4 years — greater than double the whole of all its prior Ok-content investments. The facility of Netflix’s world enterprise mannequin was one other undercurrent to Saturday’s Squid Recreation extravaganza — the form of spectacle and expenditure that might solely make sense for a platform with the potential to leverage localized titles throughout a global subscriber base stretching into the tons of of tens of millions (or, a number of instances greater than South Korea’s whole inhabitants of 51 million).

The runaway success of Squid Recreation’s first season heaped monumental stress on Hwang, who famously writes and directs each episode singlehandedly. However season two — which took a full three years to make its method again onto world screens — nonetheless delivered, setting a brand new Netflix file for essentially the most views in a title’s premiere week, and finally rising to develop into the platform’s third most-popular present of all time. Squid Recreation’s destiny returned to the viewers final Friday, when season three launched worldwide.

“It was a very lengthy journey, and I put my coronary heart and soul into this work,” Hwang instructed the group in Seoul on Saturday. “Now that it’s throughout, I’ve a bittersweet feeling — however I additionally really feel lots of reduction.”

Not lengthy after the director and his forged made their exit, the stage’s enormous video displays flashed a “Recreation Over” message above the group. Whether or not Squid Recreation — Netflix’s Most worthy piece of IP — is actually over stays to be seen. A mysterious cameo from Cate Blanchett close to the tip of the finale — alongside with widespread business chatter a couple of potential deal for David Fincher to direct a by-product — would definitely counsel in any other case. For now, Netflix is staying quiet, basking as an alternative in what one imagines because the pink glow of Season 3’s hovering viewership stats.