Netflix’s Five Biggest Hits and Flops Business

Netflix has forged a new era in the entertainment industry, popularizing streaming and forcing Blockbuster.

Its catalog features shows that have become household names, including The Crown, Squid Game, Tiger King and Stranger Things.

Yet much of its reams of content have also flopped, prompting critics to wonder if its curators have lost touch – and taking aim at Netflix’s inability to produce enough hit shows for its millions of subscribers. .

Here are Netflix’s biggest hits and worst flops:

Netflix is ​​the most watched in the UK

1: Squid Game – September 2021 (UK)

It was an unlikely hit: a South Korean show written in 2009, which failed to catch on.

Yet once on screens, Squid Game quickly became one of the most talked about shows of 2021.

At an estimated cost of $21m (£16m), Squid Game remains Netflix’s biggest show in the world.

It drew around 132 million viewers in the first 23 days of airing, and according to the latest figures, around 1.7 billion hours of the show were watched in its first 28 days.

2. Bridgerton Series 2 – March 2022 (UK)

Bridgerton’s highly anticipated second series only aired late last month, but has already become the streaming giant’s most popular English-language series of all time.

In the first month, viewers watched 627 million hours of the regency-style period drama, which follows Lord Antony Bridgerton’s quest to find a bride and is based on the second of the novels written by Julia Quinn.

The production is part of a mega-deal struck with producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes to develop shows for Netflix, worth an estimated $100 million+.

3. Bridgerton Series 1 – December 2020

Unsurprisingly, Bridgerton’s first series drew an equally large following: viewers gushed over 625 million hours of the steamy show in its first 28 days.

It was released at the height of the lockdown, in December 2020, when families were forced to cancel Christmas plans and stay indoors.

With a reported budget of around $7 million per episode, little was spared on the lavish sets and lacy outfits, which resulted in Bridgerton being renewed for three more series.

4. Money Heist Part 4 – April 2020

The fourth series of this Spanish thriller proved to be its most popular, documenting the journey of a group of bank robbers led by a criminal genius known as the Professor.

The fifth and final series, which aired last September, did not top its viewing figures – some 395 million hours were watched in the first 28 days, compared to 619 million for the fourth series.

Netflix reportedly only paid $2 per episode when it bought the show from Spanish channel Antena 3.

5: Stranger Things Series 3 – July 2019

Stranger Things has become one of Netflix’s best-known shows since it first premiered in 2016 – and it’s also one of the most expensive to make.

Estimates suggest it cost around $6 million per episode when it first aired, but could now hit $12 million. The third series is the last to be released, as production halted due to Covid-19, and the next series is expected to land on Netflix next month.

Netflix’s biggest flops in the UK

1. Space Force – May 2020

Netflix reportedly paid Steve Carrell around $1 million per episode of this workplace comedy set in space.

But for viewers, it wasn’t money well spent. Reviews of the 10-part show were scathing, despite a cast that included Friends’ Lisa Kudrow and John Malkovich.

Despite the backlash, Netflix opted to renew the show for a second series which premiered in February this year.