Ben Affleck Thriller Animals Becomes Global Streaming Hit on Netflix

Major star-driven movies routinely arrive on streaming platforms with minimal marketing and quickly capture global viewing habits. A few weeks ago, that happened with The Whisper Man featuring Robert De Niro. Ben Affleck now claims the spotlight with Animals, an Los Angeles crime thriller that also stars Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, and Steven Yeun.

Data from the streaming tracking site FlixPatrol indicates that Animals holds the number one spot on Netflix worldwide by a large margin. The film leads the Netflix charts in 79 of the 93 countries tracked by the site. Audiences in Qatar, Lithuania, Trinidad and Tobago, and many other regions tuned in over the weekend. Viewers in Poland preferred Less of a Stranger, a biopic about local rock musician Jan Borysewicz, who founded the band Lady Pank.

Determining whether Animals ranked as the top movie across every streaming platform remains difficult because streaming companies do not publicize comparable metrics. Netflix possesses a massive global reach, making that outcome probable. The only title competing closely for that distinction is the Disney Plus chart-topper, Toy Story 5.

Ben Affleck directed and co-wrote Animals, so the worldwide dominance of a project led by an enduring household name is not entirely unexpected. The massive viewership contrasts with harsh reviews from critics. The movie holds a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. General audiences share a similar sentiment, reflected in a Popcornometer score of 41% on the site.

Bilge Ebiri of Vulture described Animals as a catastrophe, writing that it begins awkwardly, proceeds chaotically, and ends ludicrously. Negative reviews did not stop millions of viewers from pressing play. The reception still sounds preferable to Other Mommy.

Source: Polygon