Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun Return, Joined by Im Si-wan and Park Sung-hoon
Global Interest from the US and Australia... Theme Stocks Blooming
A promotional banner for the Netflix original series "Squid Game 2" was installed on a building in Gwanghwamun Square, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 26th, the release date. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
The Netflix series "Squid Game Season 2" (hereafter "Squid Game 2") will be released worldwide on the 26th at 5 PM (Korean time). This sequel comes three years after the release of "Squid Game" Season 1 in September 2021.
"Squid Game 2" tells the story of Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) returning with a vow of revenge and participating in the game. It depicts an intense showdown with the Front Man (played by Lee Byung-hun). In the first season, Gi-hun was the sole survivor who won the prize money, but it ended with him preparing to re-enter the game. Lee Jung-jae, who plays Gi-hun, recently said on the American ABC channel program "Good Morning America" about the second season, "It starts with a desire for revenge to punish the person who created the game, after witnessing injustice and not being able to ignore it."
The story of "Ddakji Man" Gong Yoo, who appeared in the first season, and detective Junho (played by Wi Ha-joon), who infiltrates the game to find his brother who became the Front Man, is also expected to deepen. Additionally, actors Im Si-wan, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul, Kang Ae-sim, Yang Dong-geun, Lee Seo-hwan, and Noh Jae-won have newly joined the cast. T.O.P (real name Choi Seung-hyun), a former member of the group Big Bang who suspended activities after receiving a suspended sentence for drug charges in 2017, was also listed as a lead, but was excluded from promotions following strong criticism.
Season 1 of Squid Game recorded a total of 265.2 million views and 2.252 billion cumulative viewing hours, ranking first among all Netflix content. The total revenue from Season 1 was $891.1 million (approximately 1.3 trillion KRW), reportedly earning more than 40 times its production cost of $21.4 million (approximately 31.2 billion KRW).
Due to the success of Season 1, anticipation for Season 2 has been high even before its release.
Large sculptures of the "Young-hee" doll robot have been installed at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and at Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam, Seoul, while an experience zone has been set up at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. Large advertisements have appeared worldwide in countries including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and India. The production briefing held on the 9th of this month for global journalists was attended by over 160 foreign reporters from 22 countries including the U.S., Australia, and Japan, and was broadcast on YouTube.
"Squid Game 2" has also been nominated for the "Best TV Drama" award at the Golden Globe Awards in the U.S., scheduled for January next year. Artist Studio, where Lee Jung-jae is the largest shareholder, saw its stock price rise by 30% within a month, and the stock price of the visual effects company Dexter also rose more than 8% that morning.
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