Puck’s Matt Belloni describes it strongly: “You don’t want me to tell you that ‘Squid Game’ was the biggest entertainment created through professionals this year. of them) in their first 23 days; 1. 5 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days; the kind of global fandom reserved for football stars and Avengers videos – it speaks for itself. $22 million created a price (through some estimates) of $900 million.
It seems almost old-fashioned to think about it now, but not so long ago, the big Hollywood studios relied almost exclusively on superhero homes controlled through Marvel and DC comics, or the popular Y. A. novels, to seduce audiences around the world.
Spider Man: No Way Home proves that the formula still works incredibly well, as it made its way into the billion-dollar box market in less than 10 days. foreign content with foreign appeal.
While there are plenty of classes to learn from Squid Game’s good fortune, here are five that are likely to be etched into any entertainment executive’s wall to continue their homework in 2022:
1. The U. S. streaming marketIt’s saturated: Before Squid Game entered our consciousness last September, Netflix and Disney reported a stagnant streaming expansion in the U. S. USA Since the arrival of Squid Game, Netflix has returned to its expansion trajectory. To remain globally applicable as a broadcaster, varied and foreign content will have to be the priority.
2. The movies are great, but the episodic content is the long-term of the broadcast: the appeal of Squid Game went beyond borders basically because its premise (a contest of “what if” “The Hunger Games” “fight to the death”) can be understood internationally. and was satisfying in nine episodes, compared to a two-hour standalone experience.
3. Trust your foreign partners: Legend has it that Netflix’s workplace in South Korea was sure that the screen would not only be a local hit, but also have foreign “legs”. Without the encouragement and, just as importantly, the knowledge provided through South Korean Netflix executives showing how addictive Squid Game can be, there’s no way Netflix’s AMERICAN grassroots creators would have made Squid Game their top marketing/promotion priority around the world.
4. No’t be afraid of subtitles or dubbing: Not so long ago, content buyers conceived that global successes had to succeed first in English-speaking territories. A “Western” bias has invaded classic content markets like Cannes and like new ones like SXSW. Squid Game proves that the original language doesn’t matter; concept and storytelling are the only thing that matters
5. La excellence matters, but gender is the force multiplier: successful foreign content isn’t new to Hollywood executives. You only have to take a look at recent Oscar winners like Parasite and Roma to see that author-led curtains have long been followed by U. S. studio executives. and abroad. What makes Squid Game a “game changer” (pun intended) is that the South Korean team at Neflix is an up-and-coming genius filmmaker, Hwang Dong-hyuk, along with an exquisitely designed genre concept. In the past, the only foreign filmmakers and storytellers around whom Hollywood coalesced were the ones who produced more “artistic” character-based content. that.
Squid Game turned out to be just the biggest wonder hit of 2021, but a refreshing reminder that only wonderful content exists, but thrives beyond America’s borders.
For filmmakers and storytellers residing in the U. S. If you’re worried that your curtains will now fade compared to an exciting product produced elsewhere, I’d say, well, be alert. Great concepts can and will appear anywhere and local American skill no longer has the edge.
Shows like Squid Game will inevitably push American creators to stand out, and they probably will.
Otherwise, they will suffer the same fate as Squid Game’s competitors. . . and if you had the courage to watch this series, you wish this kind of failure on anyone!