Released on December 24 on Netflix, Don’t Look Up has largely met its audience. Adam McKay’s film has just established itself as the most viewed film for its first week of exploitation.
With Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence headlining, Don’t Look Up had all the cards in hand to become a success. He did not fail in his mission, a few days after its release on Netflix, the film is already breaking all records. In the results of its last week of the year 2021, the platform announces that it has established itself as the biggest success of its catalog by exceeding the 152.29 million hours viewed. It thus becomes the film to have been the most watched in just 7 days. As of January 7, it now displays more than 263 million hours.
A rather controversial success, since the film divides the spectators as much as the critics. However, at the rate things are going, it may well become the most popular feature film on Netflix and thus overtake Bird Box which still proudly sits in second place. We can also imagine it going far beyond Red Notice, with Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johson, who accumulated in these first 28 days no less than 364 million hours watched.
An ecological satire that hits the mark?
It must be said that the themes addressed by the feature film are very contemporary. The story follows the adventures of two scientists who try by all means to alert humanity to the imminent arrival of a comet that could destroy the planet. A few months after the publication of the IPCC, it is difficult not to make the link with this intergovernmental expert report which sounded the alarm on climate change.
The reputation of the director of The Big Short: The Heist of the Century will also undoubtedly have favored the robbery currently carried out by Don’t Look Up: Cosmic Denial. Especially since Netflix has big ambitions for the film. The firm has indeed decided to screen it in certain American theaters, thus offering itself a royal road to the Oscars.
On the way to the Oscars?
As we recall, to hope to be able to compete, the films in the running must make a passage to the cinema. If the rules had been relaxed with the pandemic, things returned to normal when theaters reopened. It remains to be seen from now on if the film will offer itself the favors of the academy. In view of his casting, we imagine that he will be able to get some nominations.
Facing Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, we find in particular Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill and Timothée Chalamet. These are all Hollywood darlings who could help Don’t Look Up: Cosmic Denial to offer themselves a place of choice at the next ceremony to be held on March 27 in Los Angeles.
Another film broadcast on Netflix is also on track to obtain a statuette. It is The Power of the Dog with Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst. The list of nominees has not yet been released, but we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out which feature films will be in competition this year.
