Netflix invests unimaginable sums in its original films, but the question often arises: Where on earth did the money even go? And was it really worth the effort?
In the latest edition of our Moviepilot podcast Streamgestöber, we take a look at the most expensive films in Netflix history. The streaming service has been trying to compete with big blockbuster productions for a while now and is spending a lot of money to do so. But what is the end result?
We take a closer look at the streaming service’s seven most expensive film projects to find out whether the nine-figure budgets can be put in relation to the success and quality of the films. We were particularly interested in three questions:
What was the aim of the project?
Why was it so expensive?
And did it leave a pop-cultural footprint?
Of course, whether a movie is good or bad has nothing to do with its budget. But what is interesting in the case of Netflix is that the streamer raises considerable sums for huge films with Hollywood stars that disappear from the discourse after just a few days, while smaller productions such as In the Water of the Seine unexpectedly rise to become streaming giants and spend weeks in the charts.
Why is Im Wasser der Seine biting so hard with audiences, while a sci-fi smash like Atlas seems completely forgotten a month after its release? Jennifer Lopez had a 100 million blockbuster this year? It almost seems like it never happened. How can that be? We ponder this question in the podcast.
We took a closer look at the following films:
The Adam Project (116 million US dollar budget)
Outlaw King (120 million US dollar budget)
6 Underground (150 million US dollar budget)
The Irishman (159 million US dollar budget)
Rebel Moon (166 million US dollar budget)
Red Notice (200 million US dollar budget)
The Gray Man (200 million US dollar budget)
The next budget record for a Netflix original film has already been set: the upcoming sci-fi blockbuster The Electric State with Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt is said to have gobbled up a whopping 300 million US dollars in production.
Streamgestöber: Your Moviepilot podcast on the best series and films to stream
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Streamgestöber, Moviepilot’s podcast, is sponsored by Magenta TV, but the content will not change for you. Magenta TV is Deutsche Telekom’s TV and streaming service, which bundles television in HD quality and streaming on one platform. Here you can conveniently use the entire entertainment program via a user interface
Series highlight on Magenta TV in June: The Responder
Including: Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, RTL+, DAZN, media libraries and Magenta TV+ with a unique selection of originals and exclusives and many top international series and films. The exclusive German premieres include, for example, the three new spin-offs from The Walking Dead universe – Dead City, Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live – as well as the 5th season of the hit series Fargo and the film for the popular comedy crime series Monk: Mr. Monk’s Last Case.
