Movies

‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Breaks Netflix Viewership Records

BBG News

No surprise here: Squid Game Season 3 is the #1 show on Netflix right now.

It’s no surprise that the Korean thriller series is so well-received, considering its widespread popularity. What’s truly remarkable, however, is the extent of its viewership as per Netflix’s data. The show has managed to set a new record, debuting at No. 1 in every country it was released, making Squid Game the first series ever to achieve this milestone during its initial week.

In total, the show garnered approximately 60.1 million views, setting a new weekly record for viewership on a single program.

Within just a week of its debut, Squid Game Season 1 broke records by landing at the top of Netflix’s all-time most-watched series list, a ranking based on viewership during a show’s first month on streaming. With an astounding 265 million views, it currently leads the pack. Squid Game Season 2 follows closely behind with 192 million views. As for Squid Game Season 3, it has accumulated 60 million views so far and is currently in ninth place on that list. However, this ranking will likely shift every week for the following three weeks.

The original creator of the series, Hwang Dong-hyuk, has announced that the recently released third season of “Squid Game” marks its conclusion. However, considering the show’s enduring popularity and the hints at a potential spinoff series based in the United States in the final episode, it would be quite unreasonable to assume that Netflix won’t find some way to continue the story.

This past week saw a surge in popularity for Korean content on Netflix, with the animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” becoming their most-streamed title. Meanwhile, the first season of “The Waterfront” emerged as the most-watched English-language series, and “Raid 2” took the top spot among non-English language films.

The Worst Movies of 2025 So Far

8. Snow White

In a surprising twist, Disney managed to conceal so convincingly that Snow White was a musical that I didn’t realize it was one until we took our seats in the theater. It turned out that the music was one of this live-action remake’s stronger aspects, and I found myself enjoying Gal Gadot as the wicked Evil Queen. However, the CGI representation of the Seven Dwarfs was incredibly unnatural, particularly Dopey who seemed like he was designed by an AI following the prompt “imagine what Alfred E Neuman would look like as a Chad.” The scenes involving these characters and all attempts to make Snow White a more proactive heroine (despite her still needing to sleep for a long time in the third act, given this is a remake) detracted from an otherwise visually appealing and sonically pleasing movie.

7. The Alto Knights

In the movie “The Alto Knights,” it’s puzzling as to why Robert De Niro portrayed both main characters. While it’s acceptable to cast one actor as twins, identical siblings, or even a parent and child at comparable ages, this is different since De Niro played two unrelated men. This unusual decision didn’t enhance the film, “The Alto Knights,” instead possibly serving merely as a promotional gimmick, allowing Warner Bros. to advertise the movie as an opportunity to watch Robert De Niro fight against himself. Apart from this intriguing aspect, there wasn’t much else noteworthy about this repetitive gangster film penned by “Goodfellas” writer Nicholas Pileggi and directed by Barry Levinson, who also helmed “Bugsy.

6. Opus

The movie “Opus” is set in an industrial complex and tells the story of a young magazine journalist (Ayo Edebiri from “The Bear”) who’s invited to the debut album launch of a ’90s pop superstar, now living as a recluse (John Malkovich). However, this film doesn’t offer anything fresh when it comes to exploring cult-like mentality. Movies like “Midsommar,” “Hereditary,” “The Master,” and “The Menu” have already tackled this theme in recent years. Watching “Opus” after these films is much like picking through the leftovers; there’s not much new or exciting to discover.

To put it another way, the dinner scene where the pop star’s fans share a single roll one by one could symbolize the viewer’s experience with “Opus”: It’s a bit underwhelming and leaves you feeling unsatisfied.

5. Love Hurts

So far this year, the most disappointing film has been ‘Love Hurts’, which halted Ke Huy Quan’s promising comeback. It wasn’t Quan who was at fault; he delivered an impressive performance as a former assassin compelled to return to action to safeguard the woman he loves (portrayed by Ariana DeBose, whose post-Oscar career has surpassed even Ke Huy Quan’s prime performance). Although Quan convincingly portrays an underdog action hero, the rest of the film is lackluster and appears to have been edited down significantly (it barely runs 80 minutes with credits); the script fails to provide any reason for Quan and DeBose’s characters to fall in love given their stark differences in temperament, aspirations, and age (DeBose is nearly two decades younger than Quan).

4. Fountain of Youth

As a devoted fan, I must confess that even the star-studded cast of Fountain of Youth – boasting talents like John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, and Guy Ritchie – couldn’t save this production from feeling less like a captivating film and more like an extravagant screensaver. It plays on your screen, but its monotonous and predictable nature is as if it was intentionally designed to be overlooked.

Krasinski and Portman portray estranged siblings on a quest to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. The narrative unfolds in a hodgepodge reminiscent of Indiana Jones, Uncharted, and an uninteresting Banana Republic commercial. Never has a movie relied so heavily on the assumption that viewers will watch it merely because they’ve already invested in a subscription and are seeking something to justify their expenditure.

3. Hurry Up Tomorrow

In contrast to the usual perception of a world-renowned recording artist’s life as thrilling and glamorous, this movie suggests otherwise. The Weeknd, portrayed by Abel Tesfaye, is depicted as a gloomy and melancholic character in his own right. As shown in the film ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’, the life of The Weeknd appears to revolve around sporadic music performances, monotonous gatherings with his manager (played by Barry Keoghan), and scenes where he weeps in front of a mirror. Additionally, there’s a plotline involving an obsessive fan, played by Jenna Ortega, who kidnaps Tesfaye. This bleak narrative, filled with endless misery, is the entire storyline of this film. If The Weeknd finds being a rock star challenging, he should consider becoming a movie critic instead.

2. The Electric State

There’s been quite a buzz about the $320 million Netflix spent on the dystopian sci-fi movie by the Russo brothers, which some think is too much. Regardless, given the final product, it seems like Netflix overpaid. The film, titled The Electric State, lacks visual appeal; the character designs appear dull and unoriginal, while the visuals are drab and unexciting. Millie Bobby Brown plays a protagonist traveling through a robot-ridden landscape in search of her brother, who receives assistance from Chris Pratt, leaning on his action movie reputation and an eccentric hairstyle. The narrative’s central mythology (based on a book I haven’t read) is confusing, but one might overlook its strangeness if the film were at least visually engaging. Unfortunately, it falls short in that regard.

1. Star Trek: Section 31

Originally, Star Trek was a pioneer in science fiction television, setting the standard for characters, plots, and visual design that other franchises admired. However, the latest series, Section 31, appears to be nothing more than an imitation of a lower-budget production like Guardians of the Galaxy. The show lacks the optimistic themes and intellectual exploration that defined the franchise when it was at its best. Frankly, I’d rather watch a smarter sci-fi series than one that seems as shallow as most others in the genre.

Unfortunately, Star Trek no longer appears to be the trailblazer it once was. The quality of Section 31 suggests that those days are long gone.

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2025-07-01 22:54

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