Netflix’s latest superhero epic is the Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer-led Thunder Force, and it seems to be a big hit with viewers if the latest projections hold up. The projection comes from Netflix’s Vice President of Studio Film Kira Goldberg, who in a recent blog post revealed that “52 million households are on their way to enjoying Thunder Force.” That would be an impressive feat for the superhero comedy, which is one of the few women-led superhero projects in the space. If the views are there, who knows, maybe we’ll get a Thunder Force 2, right? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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Now, the 52 million is impressive, but it doesn’t quite take the top spot as far as Netflix comedies go in terms of total viewers. Holding the top spot is Murder Mystery, the Adam Sandler Jennifer Aniston team-up that netted Netflix around 83 million viewers (according to their new metric system). It hit 17.4 million in its first three days alone, which is pretty fantastic.
Speaking of Sandler, another of his productions, the Rob Schneider starring The Wrong Missy hit 59 million viewers in its first month, while Yes Day came in behind Murder Mystery with 62 million views. A new addition to the service, I Care a Lot, has also pulled in 56 million views.
Regarding Thunder Force, Goldberg broke down what went into greenlighting the project, why she believed in it, and why she feels it will appeal to just about everyone.
“We typically see the same type of superhero story: a dark brooding hero saving the world,” Goldberg wrote. “This was a fresh way to deliver a classic superhero concept, dramatically strengthened by the central narrative of lifelong friendships and the ways in which women can combine to become a powerful force. Friendships are forever, even if life and supervillains try to get in the way.”
“Beyond superheroes, it’s important to continue to break the prototypical roles women can play. It’s powerful seeing the reaction to Octavia and her on-screen daughter (Taylor Mosby) playing smart, successful scientists in leading roles and giving young girls something positive to aspire to be,” Goldberg said. “I also loved that Octavia’s character dedicates her entire life to solving a problem in the world. I want to see women on screen who jump into action and don’t wait for anyone else to do it.”
Goldberg is also proud of how Thunder Force can entertain fans of all ages. “My favorite part of my job is the ability to entertain, and to find stories that galvanize audiences. At its core, Thunder Force is a great comedy, but coupled with the spectacle, action and female empowerment, the story taps into genres loved around the world. We also wanted to make the film accessible to lots of different ages so the film’s PG-13 rating was important,” Goldberg wrote. “Too often superhero movies are too dark and comedies too raunchy to enjoy as a family. We wanted Thunder Force to be something that teens, parents (and yes, my 9- and 12-year-old) could enjoy separately and together.”
Thunder Force is available to stream on Netflix now.
