A controversial R-rated animation finds surprise Netflix success

Netflix has been making some serious inroads into animation throughout 2021, delivering a string of popular titles that were either developed in-house or acquired from other studios, but it’s probably the single most unexpected movie you could imagine that’s been troubling the most-watched list this weekend.

As per FlixPatrol, 2006 Danish effort Princess has managed to land a place on the viewership rankings, and once you find out what the movie is about, you’ll understand why it’s such a surprise. Co-written and directed by Anders Morgenthaler, this one isn’t for the faint of heart.

The story follows August, who ends up adopting his sister Christina’s five year-old daughter Mia following her death from a drug overdose. His sibling was a famed porn star known as The Princess, so he sets out on a quest of revenge to track down and eradicate her legacy by any means necessary.

Hard-hitting, gut-punching and occasionally queasy, Princess is not an easy watch, but that clearly hasn’t deterred Netflix subscribers all that much. A 57% Rotten Tomatoes score and 67% audience rating hardly screams critical acclaim, either, making the festive resurgence that much more of a shocker when it’s hardly coming burdened with Yuletide cheer and adulation.