When it comes to the concept of the cinematic universe — an interconnected series of projects and films that share common characters and overall setting — the first thing that comes to mind for many is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The massively successful Marvel Studios slate has very much defined the concept of the cinematic universe for fans over the course of 23 films (and counting) 11 television series (and counting) and various other projects. It’s a feat that’s largely unmatched, but the success of a smaller, independent project — Stephen and Robbie Amell‘s Code 8 — may be a cue that more independent cinematic universes have a major audience, too.
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In 2016, the Amells released a short film, also named Code 8, which starred Robbie as a young man with special abilities (think superpowers) who lives in a world where over four percent of the population have various special powers, but instead of being treated as heroes, they’re treated as outcasts and are forced to live in poverty. In the short, Robbie’s character is seen simply trying to earn a basic living, but ultimately comes into conflict with the law simply because of who he is.
The short film, which was itself a teaser of sorts for a full-length feature, prompted an Indiegogo campaign to help fund the making of that feature. The crowdfunding campaign raised over $2 million towards, enough to show that there was enough interest in the film to secure additional funding. The feature itself was filmed in 2017 and debuted in theaters on December 13, 2019. But that wasn’t the end for Code 8. Ahead of its theatrical release it was announced that a Code 8 spinoff series was already in the work for Quibi, with the Amells set to return to star. Robbie himself teased to ComicBook.com at the time that there was even more planned for the world of Code 8.
“We would like to make more, and we plan on making more, so hopefully we have good news in the not too distant future,” he said.
Code 8 itself did a modest amount at the box office but has exploded in popularity on Netflix. The film debuted on Netflix on April 11th and in just a few days had become the most popular film on the service — and was the third most popular offering on Netflix overall, coming in just behind Tiger King and Ozark.
It’s this kind of success that could be good news for other, small-budget independent offerings hoping to create a storytelling universe. While there’s certainly some factors that contribute to Code 8‘s wild popularity on Netflix. Stephen Amell starred in The CW’s popular DC series Arrow while Robbie Amell appeared on The Flash which certainly drew in some viewers, and the coronavirus pandemic keeping people at home also likely had some impact on viewership, the reality is there has to be more to the film’s draw to make it to the top of the list. It’s that “more” that is likely viewer interest and demand.
The “proof” of that, somewhat, comes with the fact that Code 8 doesn’t have a big marketing machine helping get the word out. That’s very much been a grassroots effort on the part of the Amells. In fact, the Netflix debut of the film was a surprise to many when Stephen announced it on social media last week. Many of the viewers who found Code 8 probably did so organically. With the film drawing in enough viewers to hit the top three overall and be the top movie on the site, it’s solid evidence that there is a real audience for smaller films that aren’t a reboot or part of a huge, established universe. It means that viewers are choosing this sort of film out of actual interest and it could bode well for more offerings.
Code 8 is like nothing else out there. It’s a fresh science fiction offering and its success, both in terms of Netflix and future projects based up on it, serves as a proof of concept of sorts. It’s an indication that fans are looking for this kind of content, something that could lead to success for other, small, independent genre projects in the future.
What do you think? Are you surprised by Code 8‘s success? What other small, independent projects would you like to see get their own cinematic universe? Let us know in the comments below.
