The (unofficial) numbers are in forThe Irishman. The latest from director Martin Scorsese recently made its debut on Netflix instant streaming. Netflix, for their part, is historically very stingy when it comes to releasing any sort of ratings information, so it’s sometimes hard to know just how well certain titles are performing. Now we have some indication as to how Scorsese fared and the numbers, on the surface at least, seem solid. But is it enough to make the expensive prestige flick a hit?
According to Neilson, the same company that typically measures TV ratings, has reported that 17.1 unique viewers streamedThe IrishmanonNetflixin the U.S. in its first five days of release. The movie recently made its debut on the streaming service on November 27 following a limited theatrical run. For the sake of comparison, it was reported that Sandra Bullock’sBird Boxwas streamed by nearly 26 million people in its first week of release last year. Netflix, in a relatively rare move, also reported thatEl Camino: A Breaking Bad Moviewas watched by more than 25 million people in its first week of release in October.
There are some key differences here. For one,The Irishman runtimeis incredibly long, clocking in at 3 hours and 29 minutes. That was the subject of much discussion ahead of the release, and it’s possible that some casual movie watchers were put off by the idea of settling in for 209 minutes of gangster drama. Even if it boasts a cast that includes the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel.
Should it be taken as a bad sign that Netflix hasn’t boasted aboutThe Irishman’s numbers yet? Wouldn’t it make sense for them to report box office numbers if they were worth bragging about? For some, the silence can speak volumes. One thing that will help is the fact thatThe Irishman is one of the best-reviewed movies of the yearand is expected to be a major Oscar contender. This could be Netflix’s best shot at winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards yet, even though they got close withRomalast year. This news comes to us viaVariety.
