Squid Game stocks plummeted after the release of the third season

Stocks of "Squid Game" creators crashed despite record viewership of the third season on Netflix

According to Bloomberg, South Korean companies involved in the creation of the sensational series "Squid Game" experienced a real stock market collapse on Monday, despite the show's leadership in Netflix's global rankings. Securities of the agency Artist Co, where series star Lee Jung-jae is the largest shareholder, plummeted by an impressive 21%. Even more dramatic is the situation with Artist Studio Inc., whose shares lost 24% at once, while Dexter Studios Co, responsible for visual effects, lost 8.5% of its value.

Experts unanimously attribute the stock market failure to the audience's negative reaction to the final episodes of the season. "Many were disappointed by the ending - it didn't match their expectations and perception of the series," explained Kim Hearn-sik, a Seoul pop culture specialist.

The situation looks paradoxical: usually high viewing ratings become a catalyst for stock growth. However, in the case of "Squid Game," the mass disappointment of fans outweighed the digital success. As a reminder, the first season of the show turned into a real cultural phenomenon of 2021, gathering more than 142 million views and opening the world's door to Korean content.