Netflix’s latest Korean offering, Squid Game, has taken the world by storm. The show is also proving to be a big hit among investors all over the world.
The dystopian survival story, which is based on the Japanese Battle Royale format, recently made history by becoming the first Korean show to be Number 1 on Netflix US, unseating the highly anticipated Season 3 of Sex Education.
The success of Squid Game, which has been produced by Netflix and Siren Pictures, resulted in a surge of share sales for at least two companies.
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The first is Bucket Studio Company. The company, which holds a stake in the agency which represents the lead Lee Jung Jae, has seen a rise of more than 70% in the last three trading sessions. Showbox Ltd. on the other hand saw an increase of more than 50%, before slipping a little on Monday. Showbox’s predecessor had invested in Siren Pictures.
Although certain analysts consider Bucket Studio only an indirect beneficiary of Squid Game’s success, the Korean wave is undeniable, even in the stock market. Given Korean movies’ and TV shows’ widespread appeal, one can expect movie and TV production stocks to perform well over the next few years.
Squid Game’s premise has drawn several comparisons with the film Parasite, which had made history by being the first non English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Squid Game follows a group of people, desperate for money, who are forced to take part in a series of traditional children’s games. The penalty for losing, though, is a certain death. Parasite’s win had also helped in increasing gains for shares of its producer CJ Entertainment Co. early last year.
CJ Entertainment too, saw a small rise of 2% before closing flat. Squid Game is not the only Korean show having a global impact. Studio Dragon Corporation, whose show Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha was number 7 on Netflix globally, saw its biggest daily gain in six months, at 5.2%
The K-wave is evidently here to stay, with impact not only in the world of entertainment, but also business.