Don’t Look Up breaks one-week viewership record on Netflix

Netflix has been churning out original content with impressive speed, and Don’t Look Up has risen to the top of the streamer’s offerings since its December 5 release. Perhaps that’s not surprising given the film’s subject matter; it’s a satire of the U.S. government’s response to an impending and deadly crisis. (Now why does that sound familiar?)

Don’t Look Up has been stirring up conversations online, and it seems the film has officially broken viewership records over at Netflix. According to Deadline, it was streamed for a total of 152.29 million hours worldwide from December 27 to January 2. That’s the most hours subscribers have dedicated to any movie on the platform in a single week.

The film, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio as two scientists who discover a deadly meteor hurtling toward Earth, received mixed reviews from audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It seems the wide range of opinions has only drawn more people to it, though.

Don’t Look Up could become Netflix’s biggest movie ever

Netflix data obtained by Deadline pins Don’t Look Up as the company’s third most-watched original film within 28 days of its debut, falling just behind Bird Box and Red Notice. Red Notice was released a month before the satirical drama and quickly became Netflix’s most successful release. When more data comes in, Don’t Look Up stands to surpass it.

If nothing else, Don’t Look Up‘s success speaks to the power of tapping into a collective concern — i.e. climate change — and the interest that accompanies widespread discussion online. Subscribers should keep an eye on the film as January continues. It could very well become Netflix’s biggest release to date.

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