Netflix‘s most-watched list has never been seen as a barometer of quality, but more of a snapshot of what subscribers are getting their kicks from at any given time. The streaming giant may be on a hot streak of acclaimed original projects that are racking up huge viewing numbers, but that doesn’t mean that they’re all going to be great movies.
For inexplicable reasons, Adam Sandler has remained one of Netflix’s most popular stars ever since he first signed an exclusive deal to churn out his unique brand of lowbrow comedy, with literally billions of hours spent watching his output. The Last Days of American Crime and 365 Dni recently found themselves nestled towards the top of the charts as well despite both holding a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while Fatal Affair is the newest in-house movie to dominate the platform even though it was received with critical apathy.
The latest dud to enter Netflix‘s Top 10 and remain there for an extended period of time is 2010’s forgotten romantic comedy How Do You Know, which sank without a trace at the box office a decade ago after failing to even crack $50 million globally despite boasting a star-studded cast. Although you wouldn’t exactly deem the rom-com as a genre that cost huge amounts to produce, director James L. Brooks’ effort racked up a massive budget of $120 million.
A good chunk of that was splurged on the A-list ensemble, with Reese Witherspoon picking up $15 million, Owen Wilson landing $10 million for his troubles and Paul Rudd earning $3 million. And then, of course, there’s Jack Nicholson, who got paid a cool $12 million for what was the last big screen appearance of his legendary career.
As Forbes reports, How Do You Know was sitting as high as fourth place on Netflix’s most-watched list as recently as this weekend and has floated in and out of various spots on the chart for a while now. Which is certainly impressive when you consider both the strength of the competition and how mediocre and forgettable the movie is.