Netflix’s newly released South Korean TV series, Hellbound, has officially taken Squid Game’s crown as the most-watched show of the week. According to FlixPatrol analytics, the new show, starring Yoo Ah-In and Kim Hyun-joo, has managed to dominate the streaming service‘s trending bar in more than 80 countries all within three days of its worldwide debut.
The reported analytics were later confirmed by Netflix, which shared its ranking of its Top 10 TV shows and movies for November. Since releasing on the streamer on November 19, Hellbound has racked up an impressive 43 million hours viewed. The staggering numbers, according to Netflix’s analytics, puts it at the top of the list of both English and Non-English Netflix TV series.
The series bested the streamer’s record-breaking show Squid Game (30 million hours viewed), and other notable shows on the platform such as Tiger King 2 (30 million hours viewed) and the League of Legends animated series Arcane (38 million hours viewed). Hellbound tells a dark story centred around people who can hear predictions on when they will die. When their time comes, an angel of death kills them violently.
The popular show has similar themes to Squid Game and points to the fact that Netflix subscribers seem to be fans of tense storylines with life and death stakes. Squid Game, directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, has become a cultural phenomenon since releasing in October 2021. Telling the story of a game show of deadly children’s games where players compete for a cash prize (or die trying) it has inspired real-life recreations and even a few videogame adaptations. Hellbound overtaking the series in just three days is a massive achievement.
We are curious to see if Hellbound can hold the top spot in Netflix’s rankings. Previously Squid Game reigned supreme on the site for 46 consecutive days. Only time will tell if Hellbound can replicate or possibly outdo the series.
In the meantime, fans can also look forward to Squid Game season 2, which has now been confirmed by Netflix and the show’s creator. Currently, plot details for the next chapter are being kept under wraps; however, we do know that the police will be more involved in the next season.
Hellbound and Squid Game season 1 are available to watch on Netflix now.