Netflix can be criticized for a whole lot of things, but its overwhelming dedication to producing original films and getting some of the best in the business involved cannot be doubted. Its often ridiculous levels of output do, however, lead to a lot of internal competition, as Matilda has found out.
The big remake of one of Roald Dahl’s most famous novels made its Netflix debut up against stiff competition in the New Year period, and despite an excellent showing, could hardly mount a fight against the platform’s biggest performer. Matilda finished its first week with a strong second spot on the Netflix charts, albeit a maddening 80 million hours behind consecutive chart-topper Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Rian Johnson’s big whodunnit sequel made a late charge into many best of the year lists for 2022, with its late streaming debut combining perfectly with the holiday season. Matilda saw 41 million hours viewed — 25 million more than the third spot — but the gap was huge to Glass Onion on 127 million in its second (and first full) week.
Matilda’s numbers would’ve made it the top movie on the platform every week since Nov. 28 onwards, but it could not match a Daniel Craig-led mystery. Much like Glass Onion, the Dahl adaptation had an excellent cast with the likes of Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, and Andrea Riseborough all the jewels in its cast crown.
The musical will likely continue to garner hours over the coming weeks, with school holiday periods still ongoing in some parts of the world. Both Glass Onion and Matilda are available to stream exclusively from Netflix.