If ever there was a combination of filmmaker and property so destined to eventually be intertwined that the only surprise is that it didn’t happen sooner, it’s Tim Burton and The Addams Family. Hollywood’s premiere offbeat outsider always felt like the perfect candidate for the spooky and kooky franchise, with Wednesday finally being unleashed on Netflix this past… well, you can guess.
Reviews have been solid-if-unspectacular, with critics praising the aesthetic and production values while highlighting the shortcomings in the storytelling department, to the extent that many have negatively compared it to a formulaic teen drama that just so happens to be set in a fantastical supernatural world packed full of instantly-recognizable characters.
Star Jenna Ortega has been winning near-unanimous praise from all corners, though, but Wednesday hasn’t been without its controversies. Users have been blasting the recurring problems to have defined a lot of Burton’s work rearing their heads again, while even the approach to the much-welcomed inclusivity is coming under fire.
Of course, because we’re talking about a blockbuster-sized Netflix exclusive, Wednesday has been delivering the goods where it really counts; on the all-important viewership charts. As per FlixPatrol, the horror-tinged episodic offering has instantly seized the number one spot in a massive 84 countries around the world, and it’s popped straight into the Top 10 in 89 nations total.
That’s a stellar return, but as always tends to be the case with a big budget property no matter how popular it is, a renewal is far from guaranteed.