Having repeatedly stated that the company is actively searching for a franchise that can rival something like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, or Harry Potter, it’s clear that Netflix remains all-in on the blockbuster business, because the platform continues funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into splashy new projects without even having stumbled upon its golden goose.
As popular as the star-studded, action-packed original epics tend to be in terms of viewing figures, critics have generally been left cold by how formulaic and uninspired the streamer’s most high-profile offerings have turned out. If we look at five examples in particular that each cost at least $100 million to produce, then you can see just how underwhelming Netflix’s mega budget success stories have been.
Red Notice, 6 Underground, The Gray Man, Bright, and Day Shift all went down a treat with subscribers, but respective Rotten Tomatoes scores of 36, 36, 46, 26, and 55 percent underlines a major recurring problem. In fact, even genre junkies have been left scratching their heads as to how Netflix can take huge amounts of money and even bigger names, only to deliver mediocrity on a repeated basis.
As much as the higher-ups refuse to acknowledge that the almighty algorithm dictates all, it’s clear that a lot of Netflix’s broadest blockbusters are content to play it way too safe, which in turn festers an identikit nature. It’s a million miles away from being a lost cause, and there are countless top-tier exclusives that have returned the investment and then some, but it’s nonetheless an issue a lot of people have picked up on.