▲ This photo, provided by Big Hit Music, shows BTS holding their LA concert at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 28, 2021 (U.S. time). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Yonhap) -- The global success of South Korea's sensational survival drama is predicted to revolutionize the market for non-English language works worldwide. 

In a commentary article, titled "Is Squid Game the Dawn of a TV Revolution?" on BBC, freelance journalist Al Horner breaks down the meaning of the "Squid Game syndrome" and how the popularity of the non-English language TV series can affect what people watch in the future.

Horner explains that a contributing factor to "Squid Game" achieving global success was streaming services like Netflix, which has increased accessibility for non-English language titles.

The article also revealed that the success of "Squid Game" has proven English-speaking viewers to be less reluctant to subtitles, contrary to the concerns raised by the entertainment industry gatekeepers.

 

 

▲ A scene from "Parasite" by CJ Entertainment (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Darcy Paquet, a film critic and author who translated "Parasite" into English subtitles, said, "[Studios and distributors] claimed that people don't like to read subtitles because it's tiring or distracting on screen, but we read text all day long on our phones and in every other aspect of our lives, so I've always found it funny."

As the success of "Squid Game" increased the world's attention to more Korean language content, there is growing expectations for another successful non-English content to be discovered.

 

▲ This image provided by Netflix shows a scene from "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

BBC also pointed out that in October, an article from The Guardian, titled "Hooked on Squid Game? Here are 10 of the best K-dramas to watch next" was one of the top 10 most-read articles on the site at the time and mentioned the continuous success of Korean TV series with Netflix's "Hellbound."

 

▲ This promotional image provided by Netflix shows "Hellbound." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

The growing trend of people breaking language and geographical borders is viewed as another underlying factor that will spark an enormous change in the global TV industry.

The latest Marvel film "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," released in September, has become "the first pandemic-era movie to surpass $400 million at the global box office, earning $100 million in just five days after its release in the US – despite large parts of the movie being in Mandarin with English subtitles," according to BBC.

Going forward, Horner states that even if BTS or Latin pop singer Bad Bunny sings in their native language, it doesn't become a problem in holding sold out concerts or topping the Billboard charts.

 

▲ This photo, provided by Big Hit Music, shows BTS holding their LA concert at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 28, 2021 (U.S. time). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Horner predicted that the success of "Squid Game" will also diminish the trend of reinterpreting or remaking original non-English content into English versions.

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