Critics and social media users have had varied reactions to Andrew Dominick’s Blonde. A Netflix film with subpar reviews is frequently in the top place, as was the case with Queen Latifah’s End of the Road, which received a dismal Rotten Tomatoes rating yet topped the charts in 80 different nations. After its first release, Blonde was the #1 trending movie on Netflix, but it took a Gerard Butler movie three days to push it to #3.
One day following Blonde’s debut, on September 29, Blonde topped the list of trending movies, followed by Lou and Tyler Perry’s A Jazzman’s Blues. It remained there until October 2nd, when Last Seen Alive overtook Blonde for the top spot, with Blonde coming in second and Simon Pegg and Lily Collins’ Inheritance coming in third. On October 3rd, Blonde dropped to number three a tiny bit, Inheritance rose to second, and Last Seen Alive remained in first.
Another Netflix film with a low rating but a top place on Netflix’s trending list would be Last Seen Alive. Based on nine reviews, the most recent Gerard Butler film about a man searching desperately for his missing wife has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 11%. There is currently no audience score since there aren’t enough ratings to do so. The thriller Inheritance received poor reviews and has a 24% score on Rotten Tomatoes with a 33% audience score. Despite these poor scores, it’s obvious that Netflix subscribers want to see a fantastic thriller.
Netflix subscribers might choose to watch an entertaining thriller than a depressing account of Marilyn Monroe’s life. The Joyce Carol Oates novel adaption has received harsh criticism on Twitter thus far for being “anti-abortion” as well as for being “sexist,” “exploitative,” “disrespectful,” and “cruel.” Additionally, there was one scene that several viewers felt went too far, which caused many viewers to stop watching the film after it. We discover everything Oates thinks Marilyn Monroe would have gone through and felt during her stay in Hollywood, and none of it is joyful. This kind of movie could be too much for viewers to sit through for more than 2.5 hours.
Blonde not being in the top place may mean that Netflix customers are unwilling to see a film they believe to be “exploitative” and too depressing for them. Netflix streamers often decide for themselves whether or not to give a movie a chance. Even if reviewers have lambasted thrillers like Last Seen Alive and Inheritance, audiences are still wanting to be captivated by a gripping tale to keep them interested in watching.