Squid Game opened new doors for Korean flicks that have been rejected by the local production companies. Far from the well-privileged directors' fates, the showrunner Hwang Dong-Hyuk revealed it took 12 years before the now-hit series arrived.
According to the filmmaker, he had been rejected by several studios because of his pitch's bizarre concept. Fortunately, he did not give up his piece and gambled all he had until he reached Netflix.
After Squid Game became the site's biggest show, Netflix did something they never did before to pay off the team's efforts in making the show.
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Squid Game Team Enjoys One-Time Bonus From Netflix
Netflix, since it began producing content, never really gives paid bonuses for awards. But Squid Game somewhat broke it as the series' team earned a "relatively small" compensation from the company.
Bloomberg confirmed that the streaming giant received a one-time bonus from Netflix following the underemployment controversy. The issue highlighted how Netflix does not value the creators' efforts enough despite bringing millions to the company.
"The cast received less than the stars of (U.S. TV series) 'Succession' get paid for one episode. The bonuses are a recognition of how lucrative 'Squid Game' has been for Netflix. The show, which cost just $21 million to produce, is estimated to be worth more than $900 million to Netflix," the article read.
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It remains unknown how much exactly the team earned. But an expert recently estimated that the Squid Game team only garnered $1.7 million when they accomplished the flick.
Squid Game only spent $21 million to produce, but it has garnered more than $900 million since its premiere. Multiple reports also disclosed that the revenue solely went straight to the company instead of its team.
Director Hwang Dong-Hyuk Revelation About Squid Game
Netflix's decision to give Squid Game team one-time bonuses came after director Hwang Dong-Hyuk revealed he was only paid according to the original contract.
In an interview with The Guardian, the director never brought up the possibility of a performance-related clause despite being the only one who created, wrote, and directed the series.
"It was physically, mentally and emotionally draining. I kept having new ideas and revising the episodes as we were filming so the amount of work multiplied," he went on.
With the upcoming Season 2, fans can only hope that Squid Game team and Hwang Dong-Hyuk would finally be compensated based on the series performance – and the successor would surely be a hit again.
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Check back for more stories, updates, and rumors about Squid Game here at EpicStream!