Like virtually every other major streaming service, Netflix can often be quite vague when it comes to releasing viewership data for their in-house content unless it turns out to be a major success, but luckily for them, the streaming giant have been on quite the hot streak recently.
With millions of people having been largely confined to their home for months, Netflix has released a series of high-profile originals to keep their subscribers occupied during the Coronavirus pandemic, and while they haven’t all been the subject of universal acclaim, they’ve nonetheless managed to dominate the cultural conversation.
The Last Days of American Crime may be one of the worst movies of the year, but people still checked it out in huge numbers, while steamy Polish drama 365 Dni also had the internet buzzing for a brief minute. Throw in Spike Lee’s potential awards season contender Da 5 Bloods and Charlize Theron’s hit new action movie The Old Guard and there’s been plenty to keep viewers occupied.
However, none of them have managed to hold a candle to Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction, which became Netflix’s most-watched premiere ever when it debuted back in April, and with the company recently revealing the official viewing figures for their original movies, it turns out that a massive 99 million subscribers checked out director Sam Hargrave’s feature debut in the first four weeks it was available, making it their most-viewed original film.
That’s an incredible number for any pic, never mind a mid-budget action outing from a first-time director, and it easily outstripped the likes of Michael Bay’s 6 Underground, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Netflix favorite Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery. No wonder a second installment was given the go-ahead so soon after Extraction captured the imagination of subscribers around the world, and based on the numbers, it looks like audiences are more than happy to see what Tyler Rake gets up to in the upcoming sequel.