Despite Harsh Foreign Criticism, 'Ojingeo Game 2' Tops Charts in 92 Countries Worldwide

Ranked 1st Excluding New Zealand Among Counting Stations

Netflix drama 'Ojingeo Game' Season 2 has been released, and although foreign media have rated it as falling short of expectations compared to the previous season, it became the most-watched content worldwide within just one day of its release.

On the 26th, the release date of the Netflix original series "Squid Game 2," a sculpture of the Squid Game character "Young-hee" and promotional banners were installed at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

On the 28th, online content ranking site FlixPatrol announced that 'Ojingeo Game Season 2' ranked first in the global Netflix TV program TOP 10 as of the previous day. By country, it ranked number one in a total of 92 countries, including the United States, France, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and T?rkiye. Among the 93 countries where FlixPatrol tracks viewing records, it was the most-watched content in all except New Zealand.

Released on the 26th, 'Ojingeo Game Season 2' depicts the story of Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who became the ultimate winner of the life-or-death game in Season 1 and received a prize of 45.6 billion won, returning to the world of the game. Overseas media reactions to 'Ojingeo Game Season 2' were colder compared to the previous season. Critics pointed out that the story was boring and lacked originality because it followed the same structure as Season 1. The US daily The New York Times (NYT) said, "'Ojingeo Game' has turned on a red light," adding, "The second season of the Netflix hit shows more stylish killings, but the story is stagnant."

The Hollywood Reporter, a film industry magazine, also stated, "Netflix's Korean hit has lost its edge," and evaluated, "The second season of 'Ojingeo Game' was completely disappointing. It lacked the fun and ingenuity shown in the first season and was deficient in new details or insights into the essence of the game." The US newsweekly Time criticized with the headline "Capitalism Killed Ojingeo Game," saying, "As the IP (intellectual property) was commercialized, the storytelling lost its power."

There were also critical voices regarding the decision to end Season 2 abruptly to leave room for 'Ojingeo Game Season 3.' The daily USA Today pointed out, "It seems that Seasons 2 and 3 were conceived as one story and artificially split to extend the series," and added, "Director Hwang Dong-hyuk also failed to convey the anti-capitalist message he intended."

Meanwhile, 'Ojingeo Game Season 1' entered the global Netflix TV program TOP 10 within two days of its release and reached number one in eight days. It remained in the top 10 for a total of 106 days thereafter.