2020 may have been almost a total write-off for the theatrical industry, but streaming services managed to go from strength to strength. Disney Plus reached 90 million subscribers over three years ahead of schedule, Netflix passed the 200 million milestone and HBO Max’s Wonder Woman 1984 scored the biggest feature-length debut on any platform throughout the year.
With a lot of people still either unable or unwilling to go to their local cinema, the variety of platforms on offer have seen both their viewing numbers and customer bases go through the roof. Indeed, it’s definitely not a coincidence that seven of Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched movies ever arrived between March and December of last year alone, a period when the box office was a shadow of its former self and people were living under some sort of Coronavirus restrictions.
The company has a huge volume of exciting original content coming down the pipeline before 2021 is over, too, and Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead could stand a real shot at toppling Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction from the number one spot. Not only is it a big budget blockbuster with the sort of high concept premise that guarantees a massive audience, but there’s also the Justice League knock-on effect.
The Snyder Cut is one of the most hotly anticipated titles of the year regardless of whether we’re talking about the big or small screen, and if it generates the buzz that everyone’s expecting it to, then people will be a lot more excited for the filmmaker’s next directorial effort. Luckily for Netflix, Army of the Dead arrives a little over two months after Justice League lands on HBO Max, so they could be the ones who end up reaping the biggest rewards.