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Ben Affleck’s New 106-Minute Thriller Clings to Streaming Crown
Ben Affleck’s political thriller *Animals* has reached 70 million Netflix views in four weeks, despite receiving poor reviews. Its continued audience draw highlights Netflix’s recent focus on mid-budget genre films, several of which have attracted large viewership.
The film follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife after their son is kidnapped, placing the candidate in a moral dilemma. *Animals* earned 4.7 million views in the week of 26 October to 1 November, following weekly totals of 23.8 million, 30.8 million and 10.7 million. It has two months left in Netflix’s three-month viewership measurement period; the article reports a 29% Rotten Tomatoes score, compared with 83% for Spike Lee’s *Highest 2 Lowest*, which shares its source premise.
In short
- *Animals* has drawn 70 million Netflix views in four weeks.
- It added 4.7 million views in the latest reported week.
- The film has two months left in Netflix’s tracking period.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Animals’ sustained viewing suggests Netflix’s mid-budget thrillers can attract large audiences even when critics are unimpressed. That reach may justify investing in accessible genre films, which can offer viewers compelling entertainment and give the service a broad slate beyond prestige releases.
The case against
High viewing figures do not by themselves show that a film is well received or that this strategy delivers lasting value. Critics’ poor assessment, alongside the stronger score for another film using the same premise, may support concern that prioritising immediate audience numbers risks favouring attention-grabbing releases over quality and originality.
Explained simply
Netflix is a subscription service that releases films to watch online, and it tracks how many times its titles are viewed. A film’s place among the service’s most-watched titles reflects audience viewing, which can differ from critics’ assessments.
Animals centres on a mayoral candidate in Los Angeles and his wife, whose son is kidnapped. The crisis forces the candidate to weigh his family’s safety against the choices he faces as a politician.
Ben Affleck stars in the film, which is part of Netflix’s investment in mid-budget thrillers and other genre films. Its performance matters to the service as an indication of how audiences respond to this kind of release.