It is not wrong to say that streaming services dominate the entertainment industry in the current digital era. It is hard not to be impressed by the numbers these platforms report, with millions of subscribers and billions of streams. Realistically speaking, though, those figures might not always be as precise as they seem.
And it seems Conor McGregor has recently found himself in a similar predicament as filmmaker Zack Snyder earlier did. Both celebrities appear to have made the same mistake of celebrating record-breaking viewership figures without fully comprehending the significance of streaming versus theatrical releases.
McGregor recently boasted about the 50 million views his reboot of the classic film Road House received on Prime Video, a popular streaming service. Snyder, on the other hand, was astounded by Netflix’s reach in comparison to traditional film studios during a two-hour interview with Joe Rogan earlier.
In an attempt to bolster his argument, he did some math and concluded that, despite the negative reviews from critics, his 2023 flick, Rebel Moon, was likely seen by a larger audience than Barbie. Note that with a $1.4 billion worldwide box office receipt, the latter became the highest-grossing film of 2023.
Zack Snyder’s Calculations Showed That Rebel Moon Was Bigger Than Barbie
This is the age of digital streaming services, and it appears that everyone is obsessed with the latest hit show or blockbuster film available at their fingertips. But have you ever considered how accurate those streaming numbers really are?
Zack Snyder also tried his hand and used some clever math manipulation on The Joe Rogan Experience to claim that more people watched his 2023 flick, Rebel Moon — Part One: Child of Fire, on Netflix than Barbie in theaters.
The director spoke at length about Netflix’s approach to movie distribution last month. After dedicating the majority of his career to producing films for Warner Bros. (the studio behind Barbie), Synder switched to Netflix, launching Rebel Moon in 2023 and Army of the Dead in 2021. The director maintained that the former film has attracted more viewers thanks to the Netflix machine than Margot Robbie’s flick.
“You think about Netflix, for instance, where you push a button. Rebel Moon, right? Say, right now, it’s almost at 90 million views, right? 80 or 90 million accounts turned it on, give or take. They assume two viewers per screening, right? That’s the kind of math.”
“That is the kind of math”, said the Man of Steel director. Continuing, he explained:
“So you think if that movie was in the theater as a distribution model, that’s like 160 million people supposedly watching based on that math. 160 million people at $10, what is that math? I don’t know. 160 million times ten. That’s 1.6 billion. So, more people probably saw Rebel Moon than Barbie in the theater, right?”
Snyder then credited Netflix’s approach to movie distribution, saying:
“That’s how crazy Netflix is. That’s the distribution model that they’ve set up.”
At least not in a significant way; it seems Snyder is not inflating the popularity of his movie on Netflix.
Road House’s Success: The Reality Behind Inflated Numbers on Streaming Services
During its first two weekends on Prime Video, Doug Liman’s revival of the 1980s cult classic Road House has garnered over 50 million views. According to Amazon, it broke all previous records for the most views for an original film they have ever made for the streaming service. Released on March 21, the film starred Conor McGregor, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Daniela Melchior.
Head of Amazon MGM Studios, Jennifer Salke, stated (via Deadline):
“The groundbreaking, successful debut of Road House is a testament to the hard work and commitment from the entire Road House filmmaking team and the film’s cast led by the phenomenal Jake Gyllenhaal.”
When comparing streaming viewership to traditional theatre box office numbers, several factors can skew the data, making it difficult to determine a title’s true popularity.
However, one of the major drawbacks of relying on streaming viewership numbers is the possibility of inflation. Unlike box office receipts, which are concrete and easy to verify, streaming numbers can be manipulated and skewed. For example, a ‘view’ on a streaming platform may only require a user to watch a few minutes of a film, rather than the entire two- or three-hour duration.
As a result, viewership figures may be inflated, failing to reflect a film’s or show’s true popularity and success. Despite these obstacles, streaming platforms have unquestionably become a dominant force in the entertainment industry. Netflix, in particular, has had enormous success with its original content, including Bird Box, The Irishman, and Stranger Things. Other streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+, have also created critically acclaimed and popular content.
In contrast, theatrical releases have a much shorter window to grab audiences and generate box office revenue. While a theatrical release needs to make a significant impact on its first weekend of release in order to be deemed successful, a title on streaming services can accumulate popularity and momentum over time.
As the debate over streaming versus theatrical releases heats up, celebrities and filmmakers must understand the differences between the two mediums. While streaming platforms provide a convenient and accessible way for audiences to consume content, the accuracy of viewership statistics can be questioned.
Finally, the success of a film or show should be measured not only by the number of views it receives on a streaming platform but also by its impact and reception among audiences.
Road House is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, while Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire is available on Netflix.
