Leave the World Behind Has Netflix's Biggest Movie Premiere of 2023

The Julia Roberts starring thriller is bringing in massive numbers for Netflix.

By Nicole Drum

Leave the World Behind is now streaming on Netflix, with the Julia Roberts-starring thriller having debuted on the streamer just last week but the film is already proving to be huge. Leave the World Behind is now Netflix's biggest movie premiere of 2023, according to their recently released numbers. According to Netflix, not only is the film the number one streamed film in its global top 10, but it's the biggest of the year to date with 98.7 million hours viewed over 41.7million views and counting.

When it comes to the weekly global top 10 for Netflix, Leave the World dominates. The number two movie, Family Switch, clocked just 32.9 million hours viewed with 18.6 million views while the number three film, Leo, came in with 25.4 million hours viewed and 14.2 million views. The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Catering Christmas rounded out the top 5.

What Is Leave The World Behind About?

In Leave the World Behind, Amanda (Roberts) and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world. Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot, Homecoming) directed and co-wrote Leave the World Behind with Alam, who serves as executive producer alongside Roberts. 

Is Leave the World Behind Connected to Mr. Robot?

With Leave the World Behind directed by Esmail — who was also behind the acclaimed USA Network series Mr. Robot which has similar themes to the film — many viewers questioned if the two projects were somehow connected. As it turns out, they are, at least in terms of little nods and references.

"It felt pretty natural, and to be honest with you, I didn't just do it with Mr. Robot. There are little nods to everything I've worked on, from Homecoming and Comet to Robot," Esmail told The Hollywood Reporter (via GQ). "I fancy myself as creating my own little universe whenever I make a film so I thought to myself, 'Why not connect them all?' It's more fun that way."

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Will There Be a Sequel to Leave the World Behind?

While the film's ending does set itself up for a sequel or even more stories in the same universe, there has been no official word on if there will be a sequel to the film as of yet.

Leave the World Behind is now streaming on Netflix.

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