Pictures: Netflix
It’s time for another rundown of all the biggest stories from the Netflix top 10s for the past week. This week, we’ll be tackling the debuts of several new movies and series, including Family Pack, Don’t Move, Territory, Beauty in Black, and much more.
Note: In this report of Netflix’s hours viewed from October 21st, 2024, to October 27th, 2024, we’ll use “Complete Viewings Equivalent,” or CVE, expressed in millions. That means we divide the hours viewed announced by Netflix by the runtime of films or series. It allows for better comparisons between films and series, but it’s not an audience metric. It is the minimum number of viewings if they were all complete from the first second to the last of the film or season.
1. Family pack packs a punch for its first week.
French Netflix films continued their excellent momentum in 2024 with Family Pack, which had a strong start, reaching 17.5 million CVEs within its first five days. This marks the third-best debut for a French film released on a Wednesday and the third-best debut for an international Netflix film released on a Wednesday this year.
Even though critics in France tore it apart, it seems to be receiving a slightly warmer reception abroad, so it might have good staying power as Halloween approaches.
2. Don’t Move
It’s a strong start for the American film Don’t Move, which debuted with 20.2 million CVEs over its first three days. It followed in the footsteps of Uglies despite lacking its cast and Netflix’s promotional push. Its genre appeal likely helped draw in subscribers over the opening weekend. The question now is whether it can maintain that interest over time.
3. Do Patti
The Indian film Do Patti achieved the best debut for an Indian film released on a Friday in 2024, with 5 million CVEs viewed in its first 3 days. Broadening the scope to all Indian films released on a Friday since June 2021, it ranks as the second-best opening, just behind Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga. Notably, six films in the Top 10 were released in 2024, suggesting that Netflix India may finally be on a roll with its films division after some years of lackluster numbers. Good for them!
4. Car Masters: From Rust to Riches Shows Slow Viewership Decay
The show Car Masters: Rust to Riches is now in its sixth season, and its audience drop from season to season has been minimal, with a launch at 2.2 million CVEs viewed in its first 5 days, compared to 2.4 million for the previous season. It seems the show still has a bit of fuel in the tank for a few more seasons.
5. Hellbound Season 2 Flops Hard
It’s one of the week’s flops (and maybe one of the year’s). The South Korean series Hellbound took nearly three years to return, and the verdict is harsh with a significant drop in viewership—from 8.4 million CVEs in the first 3 days for Season 1 to just 1.7 million for the same period for Season 2. To be fair, we should consider that Season 1 premiered just two months after Squid Game, likely benefiting from its momentum, especially through Netflix’s recommendation algorithm. But I hope Season 2 doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, as cancellation seems almost certain with numbers like these.
6. Territory and Beauty in Black have decent premieres
Releasing two new English-language series on the same day wasn’t Netflix’s best scheduling decision on paper! Territory, the Australian series starring Anna Torv, opened with 6.4 million CVEs in its first 4 days. This territory of non-U.S. English-language series has renewal potential, as seen with Supacell. On the other hand, Tyler Perry’s American series Beauty in Black performed slightly lower, with 5.6 million CVEs over the same period. This one’s trickier to call, but it’s not reaching the viewership depths of The Brothers Sun or KAOS, which were canceled. Plus, given its likely lower budget, I’d also bet on a possible renewal. No harm, no foul so far, but next time, Netflix, let’s space out similar releases a bit more!
7. This is the Zodiac Speaking debuts in the midfield
The Zodiac Killer doesn’t attract much interest anymore (understandably, as it was over fifty years ago). With only 7.5 million CVEs in its first 5 days, it’s hitting the non-descript average for true crime documentary miniseries launches this year.
8. More Sports Flops for Netflix
There’s some disappointment this week, starting with Simone Biles Rising Season 2, which failed to make it into the Top 10 during its release week despite the first season being a huge success. Admittedly, the timing of the first season, just before the Olympics, likely contributed, but it also puts the gymnast’s appeal on Netflix into perspective. The baseball documentary The Comeback is also absent, marking the second global flop of a baseball documentary in two weeks.
That’s all for this week. Please let us know what you think in the comments below.
