With Get Out, Jordan Peele announced himself as a director to be reckoned with, winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Since experiencing that success with his feature-length debut (also score nominations for Best Picture and Best Director), Peele hasn’t been back up on the Oscars stage, but he’s continued to make excellent films that resonate with audiences. After delivering the critically acclaimed psychological thriller Us in 2019, Peele tried his hand at sci-fi with Nope, which similarly earned widespread praise and was a box office success, grossing $171.1 million against a $68 million budget. Now, Nope has become a major streaming hit.
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For the week of May 18th-24th, Nope was the No. 8 movie on Netflix in the United States. It beat out Cleaner and Apex to earn its spot on the chart. This is the first week Nope placed in Netflix’s top 10. The film was added to the streamer on May 18th.
Why Nope Is a Streaming Hit on Netflix
In addition to benefiting from the “new arrival” boost that’s so common on streaming services, Nope is faring well on Netflix simply because it’s a great film. Like all of Peele’s movies, Nope is an extremely ambitious work that blends multiple genres and themes together to create something unforgettable. The story of Nope is incredibly rich and detailed, working on a number of levels. Some see it as a commentary on American society’s obsession with spectacle. Nope also functions as an exploration of the various types of exploitation that are present in the entertainment industry. The entire Gordy’s Home storyline is a prime example of this, as Steven Yeun’s Jupe Park is looking to get rich off a traumatic experience he had as a child actor on a sitcom.
The deeper interpretations of what Peele is going for are truly fascinating, but Nope also works as just a genre thriller about two siblings trying to capture proof of a UFO. When developing Nope, Peele was inspired by some of the best studio blockbusters ever made, including multiple Steven Spielberg films. That influence is quite apparent in the end results; Nope is a visually stunning piece of sci-fi filmmaking that boasts plenty of impressive spectacle of its own. With this project, Peele painted on a larger canvas than his earlier films, and proved he was just as capable of tackling a big-scale blockbuster as a low-budget horror movie. After watching Nope, viewers are excited to see what he’ll do next, which is why it’s so disappointing Peele’s mysterious fourth movie has been delayed.
Thematic richness and visual spectacle are great, but Nope wouldn’t work as well as it does without the great performances at its center. Peele has always gotten the best out of the actors he’s worked with, and Nope is no exception. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer are the emotional core, portraying siblings OJ and Emerald. The characters’ dynamic feels very organic, highlighting the strong chemistry they have. Because OJ and Emerald have contrasting personalities (Emerald is more outgoing and charismatic), their interactions are entertaining to watch. The likes of Yeun, Brandon Perea, and Michael Wincott round out the ensemble with strong showings in their supporting roles, each one leaning into different aspects of what Nope is trying to achieve.
It’s very surprising Nope didn’t gain much traction on the awards circuit. The American Film Institute named it one of the 10 best films of 2022, but it was shut out of the Golden Globes, the Oscars, and the various industry guild awards. Typically, movies that deal with the entertainment industry are a favorite of voters, and fans of Nope expected Peele’s distinct vision and ambition to translate into at least a handful of nominations. That didn’t transpire, but the film has still gone down as a tremendous success, and as people wait for updates on Peele’s next project, they’ll happily rewatch Nope on Netflix.
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