Over 35% of Netflix‘s customer base, which numbered in excess of 208 million subscribers globally the last time the company released the official figures, reside in the United States and Canada, so it’s only natural that the majority of the platform’s most popular titles are English-language releases.
However, over the last year or so, there’ve been several international projects to have captured the imagination of audiences around the world, proving once again that top tier entertainment is a universal tongue. France’s Lupin became the first French production to crack the Top 10 most-watched list Stateside while also earning the title of Netflix’s third most-watched series ever, Portugal’s The Platform generated huge online buzz, and Germany’s Dark is one of the best sci-fi shows of the 21st Century.
Spain has also put in a seriously strong showing, with Money Heist well established as one of the streamer’s biggest hits, and the creative team’s follow-up Sky Rojo was an action-packed blitzkrieg. Recent action thriller Below Zero, meanwhile, racked up 47 million streams in four weeks after premiering back in January and nabbing the top spot on the viewership charts, and now spiritual successor Xtreme will be looking to follow suit.
Another Spanish actioner with a high concept premise, it sees a retired hitman vow to take revenge on his stepbrother, teaming up with his sister and a troubled teenager in order to get the job done. It doesn’t offer much in the way of originality, and the title is something straight out of the nu metal era, but the pace is brisk and set pieces are unflinching and uncompromising, so it’s ideal weekend entertainment for the masses, which could be why Xtreme is off to such a strong start on Netflix, sitting at #1 on the most-watched movies chart.
