(Credits: Paramount Pictures / Lions Gate Films)

When Sydney Sweeney single-handedly conjured a rom-com revival in Hollywood, showbiz felt like the 2000s again. Anyone but You took its time to gain traction, but when it did, all the wait was worth it. Then Blake Lively followed suit, though it more or less ended with drama. However, Netflix somehow caught up with the trend train. And now its viewers are making the most of a forgotten rom-com, The Prince & Me, as it makes its way up on the global top ten charts.

Martha Coolidge’s 2004 rom-com, The Prince & Me, has sneaked into Netflix’s global top ten UK chart, currently ranking tenth. The film revolves around a hardworking, bookworm pre-med college student, Paige Morgan, and a Danish prince who pursues her in incognito mode in Wisconsin. Though the trope might seem quite unoriginal, it is a fact that the film is suffering from major streaming success over two decades later.

During the film’s release back in the day, critics were merciless in dubbing The Prince & Me predictable. And perhaps, the audience might agree even today. Rotten Tomatoes scored it an abysmal 29%, and Metacritic allotted it a 47/100. Then what about the Netflix audience, whose viewership propelled the film to Netflix’s top ten? Besides, the movie is a top ten not only in the UK, but also in Malta and Ireland.

In the last one and a half years, Hollywood has rolled out quite a few rom-com titles. And the box office draw has been fantastic. Yet, fans have lamented the slimming age of romantic comedies, which explains why they are falling back on existing ones. Both Anyone but You and It Ends With Us managed to pull crowds at the box office. But on streaming, the impact was way bigger. One of the reasons could be apprehension with the lack of rom-com gold in Tinseltown.

In between the theatrical and streaming, expectations differ evidently. Many box office disappointments have found a second life on streaming, and some were even bombs. Though genres such as action-thrillers and fantasy films are far from exhaustive in the entertainment capital, one cannot say the same for feel-good movies like The Prince & Me.

Additionally, Netflix has taught the world not to underestimate the power of fresh discovery and a new audience. Just because a flick failed to hit the mark in the past doesn’t mean it will lack its shine elsewhere in the future. This possibility may not have existed if it were not for the dawn of the digital age. But The Prince & Me also had sequels churning in. The story may have lacked depth, but one thing it played a trump card with is star power.

Julia Stiles was the rom-com queen of the time, whose credits range from I Love You, I Love You Not to Save the Last Dance. Moreover, the plot screams guilty pleasure in every language. While Netflix is a content-heavy platform at all times, some days are saved just for casual entertainment that is easy to digest. Regardless of the critical dissection, The Prince & Me is an undemanding watch.