Since the beginning of 2020, Netflix has been on a tear producing a plethora of original content. As the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on Hollywood productions, the streaming platform was forced to get creative to keep their millions of subscribers at ease. So getting creative is exactly what they did, producing countless new critically acclaimed series and films such as The Queen’s Gambit and The Witcher that seemingly did a great job of helping us forget why the demand for new content was so high in the first place. They haven’t taken their foot off the gas pedal since Hollywood has gone back to work either, doing everything they can to build upon the immense success they’ve had over the past two years with the best talent possible. Their latest release proves exactly that, with the satirical film Don’t Look Up breaking Netflix’s weekly viewing record over the past weekend.
Filmed by esteemed director Adam McKay, Don’t Look Up tells the story of two astronomers who learn of a comet hurtling towards Earth that forces them to take action and warn as many people as they can. Their concerns are not taken seriously however and said astronomers, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, thus set out on a mission to ensure they do their best to avoid catastrophe. The film has received fair reviews so far, earning a 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb, however the streaming data may tell us more about the project’s success: Don’t Look Up broke Netflix’s weekly viewing record between December 27th and January 2nd, being watched nearly 153 million hours over the weekend. The film is also already Netflix’s third watched project of all time, sitting just behind 2018’s Bird-Box and another fresh release in Red Notice, in just 28 days since its release. If you haven’t yet, you can catch Don’t Look Up on Netflix now.
As stated previously, Netflix has been on quite a run, however now it seems like they are upping the ante. A team composed of McKay, DiCaprio and Lawrence was incredibly unlikely to disappoint, and the data reflects how well they’ve done together incredibly well. It is likely only a matter of time before Don’t Look Up becomes the most viewed program on Netflix, and hopefully highlights the caliber of work Netflix continues to intend on putting out in the coming months.
