Squid Game will be using a premise that made this $865 million movie sequel a massive success. Starring Lee Jung-Jae as the titular character Gi Hun, Squid Game season 1, which is one of the best Korean shows on Netflix, had the kind of meteoric success that few shows manage to achieve. Squid Game season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, paving the way for a sophomore season.

The highly anticipated Squid Game season 2 will be premiering on Netflix on December 26, 2024, and whether the show will be as successful as its predecessor remains to be seen. Given that the premise for Squid Game already worked for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, it’s likely that the same formula will work for the series. Netflix announced that it will be releasing Squid Game season 3 in 2025, which will be the final season of the show.

Squid Game Season 2’s Setup Feels Reminiscent Of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Squid Game Season 2 And The Hunger Games Catching Fire Have Similar Themes

Gi Hun participating in the death games again in Squid Game season 2 is reminiscent of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The reason for Gi Hun’s return to the arena is significantly different from why Katniss had to participate in the hunger games again, but there is an undeniable similarity in the underlying themes between the show and movie. Gi Hun chose to go back to the games for revenge, while Katniss was forced to once again be a tribute by President Snow.

The announcement of the third season of Squid Game means that Gi Hun will survive his second turn in the arena and live to fight another day. Gi Hun’s survival in season 2 is another thing that makes Squid Game and Catching Fire similar, because Katniss also survived being a tribute again. Gi Hun being in Squid Game season 3 means that the establishment behind the death games wasn’t destroyed, and he is likely to return so he can finish the job he started.

Why Squid Game Season 2’s Premise Will Likely Follow The $865 Million Sequel’s Success

Squid Game Season 2 Should Have Higher Stakes

Squid Game season 2 will likely be a success, just as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was. Both The Hunger Games and Squid Game‘s premise involves contestants participating in violent games in order to survive. Essentially, the games are the core element of the show and the movie. Without the games, Squid Game season 2 wouldn’t be as gripping as season 1 was.

The show offers social commentary on how the wealthy exploit the poor for sport and how the poor have no choice but to bow down to the wealthy because they have no other alternative.

Of course, there is more to Squid Game than the violent tournament. Squid Game season 1 made an important point about morality, capitalism, and greed, which are themes also featured in The Hunger Games franchise. The show offers social commentary on how the wealthy exploit the poor for sport and how the poor have no choice but to bow down to the wealthy because they have no other alternative. In order for Squid Game season 2 to be successful, the show has to have better games and higher stakes than its first season because this is the formula that led to the success of Catching Fire.