What was the first Netflix movie to surpass 1 million streams?
Netflix statistics are the compass in the ever-shifting tides of streaming. Each new drop is akin to a strategic chess move, and when it lands with impact, the ripple effects are felt everywhere, in views, buzz, and awards. Hitting 1million views may now be a routine, but back in the day, when Netflix was just getting started, crossing that mark was a milestone moment. It was proof that even a single stream is part of a larger wave, and the first Netflix movie to do it was Beasts of No Nation.
Beasts of No Nation toppled Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger: Sword of Destiny by a few months to become the first Netflix original movie, in spite of planning otherwise. A year before the war-drama film’s release, TIME announced the Crouching Tiger sequel to be the first of many feature movies Netflix was warming up to release. House of Cards originally marked Netflix’s shift in producing original content.
Confusion persists over whether Beasts of No Nation was actually the first Netflix movie to surpass a million streams. The Cary Joji Fukunaga film was released in 31 US theatres via Bleecker Street and earned only $50,699. A Netflix representative shed light on the streaming front of the film, saying, “We aren’t issuing any metrics on the film’s performance on Netflix, but on background, I can tell you we are very happy.”
Despite a small-scale theatrical exposure, Deadline conversed with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos about the film’s reception. He revealed the aim was to make Beasts of No Nation available to all 69million Netflix subscribers at the time in over 50 countries. Although they allowed the audience to choose whether they would watch in the theatres, their focus had always been on the “total audience.” “You know we famously don’t give out viewing numbers,” Sarandos said.
But as the tabloid hoped for an exception, Sarandos revealed being “thrilled” with the film’s reception. “It is worth sharing that this movie, in North America alone, has over 3million views already,” Sarandos unveiled, speaking of the numbers two weeks into the release of Beasts of No Nation. According to Sarandos, the film was very well-received, “than any speciality film could ever hope for in its first two weeks of release.”
Beasts of No Nation was reportedly the most-watched movie on the streamer in the first week of release. Sarandos specifically highlighted the film’s performance in Japan, noting that not many speciality films do that well out of the US box office. In fact, studios faced setbacks in amplifying those movies in Japan back then.
Beasts of No Nation was the number one movie in many countries across the world, including Japan, Brazil, and Mexico, among others. To Sarandos, bringing the movie to a large audience, whether at home or cinema, was the ultimate mission. And with this film, it was the first of many wins.