Netflix unfazed by dismal showing of $367 million movie The Electric State

Netflix spent more than US$275 million (S$367 million) to make The Electric State, a science-fiction action adventure film starring British actress Millie Bobby Brown, American actor Chris Pratt and a slew of sentient robots.

- Nicole Sperling

NEW YORK - Netflix spent more than US$275 million (S$367 million) to make The Electric State, a science-fiction action adventure film starring British actress Millie Bobby Brown, American actor Chris Pratt and a slew of sentient robots.

Had it opened in theaters, instead of on its service as it did on March 14, the film would almost certainly be declared a giant disappointment.

Reviews have been dismal. And although it debuted at No. 1 on the streaming giant's weekly chart of most-watched movies, it had far fewer views (25.2 million) than other expensive features, including 2022's The Gray Man (96.5 million), which was made by the same directors, American brothers Joe and Anthony Russo.

But there was little hand-wringing inside Netflix this past week. No marketing chief was blamed. No production executive packed up her office.

Instead, The Electric State demonstrates how different Netflix is from traditional studios.

The truth is, no one piece of content moves the needle at Netflix in either direction.

The South Korean series Squid Game 2 (2024) was the most-watched title in the company's most recent engagement report, with 87 million views, but it accounted for only 0.7 per cent of total viewing.