Season 2 of Squid Game disappoints… but it’s a hit

Hwang Dong-hyuk didn’t have the desire to continue… but the stratospheric results of the first season left little room for doubt. In 2021, Squid Game gathered more than 265 million spectators across the world, becoming the most viewed production in Netflix history. All languages ​​and categories combined, production halfway between Hunger Games and the playground games championships proved that the red N only had a card to play on its native land. In the wake of Parasites — a South Korean phenomenon in theaters and the first non-English language film to win the title of best film at the Oscars — Hwang Dong-huyk’s creation stood out among the public and critics. Three years later, season 2 was to do at least as well. All the ingredients were there, the school holidays were supposed to give a boost to audiences and encourage rapid viewing of these seven new episodes. A week after the release of Squid Game saison 2it is already time to take stock. If the critics are less enthusiastic, many spectators regret a rushed ending and the many gray areas left by the narration, the stamp continues to attract many attentions. In four daysseason 2 already displays 68 million views or EVC (equivalent of complete views). This is a record for a Thursday.

Stronger than Bridgerton and You

According to data from Netflix & ChiffresSquid Game season 2 stands out as the best launch The series far exceeds the already impressive audiences of season 3 of The Bridgerton Chronicles. A few months ago, the series inspired by the works of Julia Quinn attracted 45.1 million viewers in four days. The latter had also benefited from a certain advantage over Squid Gameit was only a first part, so its duration was shorter. Squid Game also invited itself to the top of the local weekly rankings in more than 92 countries, breaking the record for the most viewed series in its first week. Netflix specifies that the previous holder was none other than Wednesday with 50.1 million views from its first week of availability in 2022. As a reminder, with a smaller launch, Wednesday has managed to stand out as the most viewed English-speaking series on Netflix. 252 million people were tempted. If Squid Game follows the same trajectory, we can expect it to once again stand out among the most popular fictions in the company’s catalog.

As we write these lines, Squid Game season 2 has already joined the series rankings most viewed non-English speakers in Netflix historyshe is at seventh place. The next few days should be an opportunity for the original series to climb new levels… and surpass the results of its predecessor. According to a graph of Netflix & Chiffreswhich brings together the best launches in the history of the company founded by Reed Hastings, it is well on its way. The fact remains that season 1 took advantage of something that the second salvo cannot capitalize on: the attraction of novelty. If Gi-hun’s first adventures seemed to have brought everyone together, the rest divides more.

A more moderate enthusiasm

If the audiences are there, the opinions are less laudatory than expected. On rating and review aggregators, season 2 is doing less well than the previous one. For the public on Rotten Tomatoesthe second burst of episodes only displays 64% favorable opinions among spectators compared to 83% for season 1. On Metacritic, these new episodes get a score of 61 compared to 69 for the season. In France, Allociné displays an average spectator rating of 3.2 stars (527 ratings) compared to 4.2 (773) in 2021. Although this moderate reception will undoubtedly have no impact on the audiences for season 2 , Netflix will have to prove that season 3 is worth watching, and bring disappointed viewers back into its ranks. As a reminder, a third season has been filmed and must join the catalog during the year 2025. It should resume directly after the events of the controversial finale.

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