It appears that Bridgerton's time at the top spot as the most-watched show to launch on Netflix has come to an end. The period drama, which was released back in December 2020, racked up 82 million viewers within its first 28 days to become Netflix's bigger ever series launch. Less than a year later, Squid Game has displaced Bridgerton by a proverbial mile after 111 million users around the globe watched the Korean drama in its first 28 days of airing.

Netflix's investment in Korean films and series has paid off

Netflix only started investing in Korean films and series sometime in 2015. Fast forward to today and Netflix's investment is starting to pay dividends. Squid Game is just one of the many Korean films and series that are making a lot of noise on the popular streaming platform.

Part of the reason why the nine-part series, which debuted in September, is so popular is because of how relatable it is, at various levels. The story revolves around a group of people drowning in debt who decide to join a game with the promise of winning a huge sum of money.

Things seem simple enough, as all they need to do is to take part in a series of children's games. But, what the participants initially don't know is that the losers all get killed after each subsequent round.

With several shocking twists and revelations throughout the entire series, part of the reason for Squid Game's success is how it keeps you glued to your seats from the start until the very end.

Squid Game has officially reached 111 million fans — making it our biggest series launch ever! pic.twitter.com/SW3FJ42Qsn

— Netflix (@netflix) October 12, 2021

In late September, Netflix had already predicted Squid Game to become the biggest show to launch on its platform. However, this appears to be just the start. Squid Game's popularity has reportedly led to studios thinking about making their video games based on the series. One Turkish developer has already done this, albeit his take is a bit too on the nose as far as taking inspiration goes.

With that said, Squid Game's success is a big win for Netflix. The giant streaming platform has become more interested in commissioning its exclusive shows in recent years. If Netflix can keep this up, it might just be able to retain its position as the go-to streaming platform for most people around the globe. At the moment, Netflix is struggling to maintain its share in large markets like the United States as it competes with Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video, among others.