Squid Game Is Coming To Movie Theaters
Squid Game is coming to movie theaters for those that want to see the Netflix hit series up on the big screen in all its squeamish glory
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If you can’t get enough of Squid Game, or simply haven’t seen the Netflix phenomenon yet, now is your chance to catch it on the big screen. For those living near Los Angeles or New York City, the streaming service is bringing the hit series to movie theatres for two nights. The viral Korean series has swept the nation with its blending of bloody mayhem and complex social structures, as it prepares for what is likely to be a very successful award season.
According to Variety, the 9-episode drama’s theatrical screening will take place over multiple Saturdays starting February 12th. The first Saturday will feature screenings of episodes one through four. The second screening on Saturday, February 19th will feature episodes five through nine. Representing cinemas owned by Netflix, the hit series will play on both coasts. The Netflix-owned Bay Theater in Los Angeles and the Paris Theater in New York will be hosting the Squid Game screenings. As for the faint-hearted or squeamish, the theatres will have an hour-long intermission with a noon start time. To make things more tantalizing, viewers will be treated to a brand new introduction from the series stars.
Airing on Netflix in September, Squid Game is undeniably the streaming behemoth’s most successful television show. Worldwide, subscribers streamed 1.65 billion hours of the series in the first 28 days alone. Furthermore, Netflix has seen extreme profit from the Korean series. Originally paying $21.4 million to acquire the series, Squid Game has earned the company almost $1 billion already.
So what exactly is it that makes the Korean drama so popular? At its surface, it is likely the long-standing fascination with survivalist instincts at the center of the series themes. From popular video games in almost every genre to dystopian survival films spanning from The Hunger Games and Maze Runner, Squid Game is a quintessential series featuring superb acting, visually striking imagery, and diabolical plot twists. Similarly, as the show deep-dives into the complex social paradigms relating to class and wealth all while tearing them down, the raw emotion felt throughout the quick-cutting nine episodes is enough to reel in viewers.
While the theatrical premiere will surely hype momentum around Squid Game yet again, the series truly doesn’t need any aid going into award season. Squid Game already boasts several nominations, including Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor, for Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, Player 456; Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor, for Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok, the North Korean Player 067. Similarly, the series is nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Series. Heading into award season, Squid Game already won three Golden Globe Awards, including best TV drama. The show also took home three Critics Choice Awards nominations and a Gotham Award win for breakthrough series.
Squid Game will continue its momentum on Netflix with a second season. The series creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that the series would return, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed the good news in late January. With the plan’s for a new season just recently coming to fruition, fans of the series shouldn’t expect any news or release date information for quite a while.
