An old adage goes there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but clearly, even negative publicity can’t sway audiences into watching some films, as Netflix’s latest original has proved.
Littered with hot takes and controversy around its director, alleged behind-the-scenes issues, and is a milestone film for Netflix. Blonde has not worked out anywhere near as expected.
Despite the staggering talent of its leading star Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe, Blonde has failed to convert discussion into streaming views as it falls short of the holy grail of the top spot on Netflix’s streaming numbers. After its first week, the film sits at #2, behind action flick Lou and roughly 9 million hours viewed short of the J.J. Abrams-produced film.
Even more impressive is Blonde‘s near three-hour runtime, which may have come back to bite it on the backside as audiences were clearly excited, but not as eager to sit through such a long movie. The film had a myriad of issues surrounding its director Andrew Dominik, who let everyone know he thought Monroe’s most famous character was a “whore” in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, as well as blamed the poor reception on the modern bogeyman of cancel culture.
All being said, a second spot is still a success, especially with a relatively small budget of $22 million. Netflix’s ability to churn out original films is impressive but consistently struggles to leave an impact. Blonde will likely still see recognition come awards season, but a nomination for Dominik for best director would be highly incendiary given his comments.
Blonde is currently available to stream on Netflix, with the film currently sitting on 42 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as it proves to be one of the most divisive films of the year.
