Creature features have been a staple of cinema for decades. When executed properly, few things can be as effective as a thriller that pits man against a deadly predator. The entire concept of the summer blockbuster stemmed from Jaws, a film about a ravenous shark terrorizing a small town one summer. Despite the relatively simple plots these types of films have, they can be wildly entertaining to watch, especially when a fan-favorite, charismatic star is front and center. After a relatively soft box office run a handful of years ago, a creature feature anchored by a beloved A-lister is making waves on streaming.
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For the week of April 6th-12th, the film Beast, which stars Idris Elba as a widowed father attempting to keep his daughters safe from a lion, was the No. 4 movie on Netflix in the United States. It was behind only The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Thrash. This was the first week Beast placed in the streamer’s top 10.
Why Beast Is a Streaming Hit on Netflix
Not so coincidentally, the week Beast was one of Netflix’s top 5 movies was also the week it was added to the platform. It came to Netflix on April 7th, which gave it a boost over other titles in the streamer’s library. Typically, fresh arrivals are among the most popular titles for a particular window of time, as subscribers are always interested in seeing what’s new on Netflix. Beast put up solid viewership numbers globally; it accumulated 3.2 million views and was watched for a total of 5 million hours. It was the Netflix’s No. 10 movie worldwide last week.
Beast didn’t leave the biggest impression when it premiered in theaters in August 2022. It grossed only $31.8 million domestically during its run, and $59 million worldwide. Considering the film’s $36 million budget, that result is a bit disappointing, but Beast is arguably better than what its box office reception would indicate. It earned generally positive reviews, netting a 68% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus is that while Beast isn’t anything special, it’s still a solid thriller that admirably executes its well-worn formula. In that sense, Beast is the perfect streaming movie. It’s good enough to watch once even if it wasn’t necessarily worth the trip to a theater.
What helps elevate Beast is the direction from filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, a veteran best known for his work in the action genre. Here, he crafts tense sequences that lean into the horror of the situation, easily putting viewers on edge through its tight 90-minute run time. Having an actor as talented as Elba leading the way doesn’t hurt, either. He delivers a characteristically committed performance as a desperate father who will do anything he can to keep his kids safe. The added detail of having his character be a grieving widow adds a little bit of depth to what’s otherwise a straightforward genre picture.
Creature features are the hot trend on Netflix these days. The streamer’s current top film is Thrash, a Jaws clone that’s clicked with viewers despite mixed word of mouth. Perhaps watching Thrash put subscribers in the mood for similar titles, drawing them to Beast. Since Beast ranks so high on Netflix’s top 10, it wouldn’t be surprising if it stuck on the chart for a couple more weeks.
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Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
