Back in 2019, Netflix released data claiming that 45 million accounts – nearly a third of its total subscribers – had streamed the Sandra Bullock thriller Bird Box in its first week on the platform, a record for a Netflix film.
At face value that statistic was extraordinary. All things being equal, had the Susanne Bier-directed film been released in cinemas, it would have racked up nearly half a billion pounds in just one week based on an average ticket price of £10.
That record has since been surpassed by the 2021 comedy action movie Red Notice, which notched up 328.8 million viewing hours and has been seen by over 50 percent of all Netflix users. As reported by Screencrush, Bird Box took four weeks to rack up its 282 million viewing hours. In contrast, Red Notice surpassed that total in just 18 days.
It was proof of the soaring demand to stream movies at home and equally of the importance to streamers of securing original must-see content.
As for the effect on traditional moviegoing…
You are not signed in
Only registered users can read the rest of this article.
Content Everywhere: Accelerators for change
Content Everywhere companies are already in planning mode for this year’s IBC. Some will also have been working on, or at least taking note of, projects included in the event’s Accelerator programme.
Why media networks are being rewired for the speed of light
The elimination of OB trucks is just the start of the light revolution. For the media industry, a rewiring of the transport network from electrons to photons promises to unlock AI driven production, immersive formats, and globalised workflows while dramatically cutting energy consumption.
Q-Stream Alpha: Prioritising trust when the network can’t be trusted
As the industry navigates a storm of content authenticity threats, the Q-Stream Alpha: The "Tactical Truth" Pipeline Accelerator seeks to deploy AI, ML, and post-quantum encryption to apply C2PA principles within live workflows.
KICK: Writing the rules of high-altitude immersive production
From camera placement and viewer comfort to movement, pacing and post-production, the French Alps-set KICK provided Altitude101 with a unique opportunity to test, challenge and refine the methods shaping its immersive storytelling.
.jpg)
Sheffield DocFest: “We need to be more weird”
Funding remains a puzzle, but the documentary and factual entertainment genres are thriving at Sheffield Documentary Festival.
