‘Gone Girl’: The David Fincher cult thriller climbing the Netflix charts
The top ten weekly movies chart has quite a few Netflix unoriginal VIPs lurking around, and the title that seemed to have grabbed the eyes the most is David Fincher’s cult psychological thriller, Gone Girl.
During the week of June 29th to July 5th, the anti-Valentine’s cinematic anthem cracked into the most popular movies chart in the US, ranking seventh, succeeding Minions: The Rise of Gru and Hunting Housewives.
Knowing that Netflix loves to spotlight older gems through its content licensing partnerships, this resurgence for Gone Girl over a decade since its release is not an isolated case. But what may have instantaneously worked in its favour could be the movie’s relatively recent addition to the Netflix US shelves. For those unaware, the 2014 movie was newly added to the platform on July 1st.
That said, Gone Girl’s surge in popularity is driven by factors that extend beyond this. Despite being released 12 years ago, it remains one of the most-quoted and highly regarded psychological thrillers by Fincher of all time. Although the movie’s reputation hinges on a plot twist that redefines the genre, the film effortlessly scores high in terms of rewatchability, all while keeping it relevant for new viewers.
Beyond the surface-level appeals, the movie excels in star power, featuring high-profile leads in Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, the latter of whom also received an Academy Award nomination for her role. And while this isn’t the first time Gone Girl has appeared on streaming, whenever it arrives, it sparks a major, temporary spark in viewership.
A lot of that credit also goes to Netflix’s algorithm game, which usually highlights newer entries on its homepage, giving the audience an upper hand to take advantage of it. Something similar has clearly happened with Gone Girl, the ultimate antidote for Valentine’s Day.
Not to mention, thrillers more or less consistently perform well on Netflix. Subsequently, the missing-wife/suspicious-husband trope has evolved into a fan-favourite premise that creates the kind of engagement and watercooler conversation that often drives movies into the weekly top 10 charts.
It’s important to note that it has not even been a week since Gone Girl arrived on Netflix. But looking at the popularity streak, the movie will possibly find its way upwards on the chart in the coming weeks. So, if you’re new on the block, tune into the Fincher directorial now, and even if you’ve watched it, it’s time to play repeat.