Ranked #1 in the US, France, Mexico, UK, and Hong Kong
"Story stagnates and originality disappears," harsh criticism
‘Squid Game’ Season 2, the most anticipated Netflix original series of the year, ranked first in 93 countries just two days after its release. Despite receiving criticism for not meeting expectations compared to the previous season, it became the most-watched content worldwide.
According to FlixPatrol, an online content ranking site, as of the 29th, ‘Squid Game 2’ was ranked as the number one TV program in all 93 surveyed countries, including the United States, France, Australia, and Japan.
Until the 27th, it was the most-watched content in all countries except New Zealand, but within a day, the ranking flipped in New Zealand as well, placing it in first place.
Released on the 26th, ‘Squid Game 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.
However, overseas media reactions to Season 2 have been mostly critical. The story is considered boring and lacking originality, following a similar structure to Season 1.
The US daily The New York Times (NYT) published an article titled “‘Squid Game’ Flashes a Red Light.” The NYT pointed out, “The second season of the Netflix hit shows more stylish killings, but the story is stagnant.”
The UK daily The Guardian criticized, “One of Hollywood’s many bad habits is splitting stories in half to double profits,” adding, “The fact that ‘Squid Game’ became one of Netflix’s most successful and profitable series has actually put Netflix in a difficult position.”
On the other hand, the US film industry media Variety praised it as “a valuable sequel that expands on the themes of the original.”
According to Rotten Tomatoes, a US movie and drama content rating site, the critic score for Season 2 is 84% (out of 100%, as of 10 a.m. on the 29th), and the audience score (Popcorn score) is 64%. Previously, Season 1 had a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% and a Popcorn score of 83%.
However, ‘Squid Game’ Seasons 2 and 3 were produced simultaneously. Considering that Season 2 serves as a foundation for Season 3’s development, there is analysis that the evaluation may change when Season 3 is released next year.
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