'Don't Look Up' Soars to Become Netflix’s Second-Largest Film of All Time

As of writing this article, Adam McKay's Don't Look Up is in the Top 10 in Films in 94 countries on Netflix. The movie has been viewed for 321,520,000 hours by the general public since it debuted on Dec. 24, making it the second-biggest movie Netflix has debuted to date.

As you may know, Netflix gathers metrics for titles in their first 28 days on the streaming platform and judges them from there. Red Notice remains the most successful film of all time on Netflix, with 364,020,000 hours in its first 28 days. But Don't Look Up is coming for the title, with a few more days left to secure more streaming hours. 

So what do these numbers mean to me, a filmmaker?

It means that streaming is one of the fastest and most potent ways to get audiences to watch your film. While it doesn't have the pizzazz of debuting on the big screen, it does have the ability to not just reach people in your native country but span across the globe instantaneously. If you build buzz, you can also catch on. 

The other thing I think we should take away from this is the idea of star power. For a little while, we were told that IP meant more than stars in Hollywood.

But according to Netflix's top two movies, you can be an original idea. You just need stars the world cares about.

I think this should be a radical new way of looking at buying and selling for streamers. Packaging is going to be more important than recognizable intellectual property, because stars on the platform obviously perform. People feel more comfortable clicking on thumbnails with famous faces, because they want to know the idea was endorsed by an actor they love. 

We'll see how this plays out in the future, but for now, stars reign supreme on Netflix. 

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.