The Netflix release of Sam Esmail’s Leave the World Behind during the 2023 holiday season was… something. The movie was fine, generally speaking. Adapted from Rumaan Alam’s novel of the same name, Esmail’s feature brought a whole bunch of A-list stars together for some apocalyptic silliness on the world’s biggest streamer. Pretty innocuous, all things considered, were it not for the association of production company Higher Ground, founded in 2018 by former United States President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Everyone had ideas about what the movie meant (oh no, it’s a psyop), but that controversy didn’t stop it from becoming one of the streamer’s most-viewed titles of all time.
Check out a trailer and synopsis below:
Per Netflix: A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.
Leave the World Behind has so far managed an impressive 143,400,000 unique views, putting it at number five on the overall Netflix charts. That’s no small feat, especially considering the sheer volume of titles available on the streamer. Behind only Bird Box, it’s also one of only two conspicuous genre films to make the ranking.
Critical reviews were mixed, with many praising the performances of its cast, including Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke, while others pointed out poor pacing and conventional end-of-world shenanigans. For my part, I thought it was fine, even if it did feel like a Netflix movie, that difficult-to-pin-down yet distinct feeling that imbues most straight-to-streaming releases.
Still, with a cast of this caliber (and Netflix’s heavy promotion of the project), it’s no surprise to see Leave the World Behind claim one of the top spots on the streamer. Whether the movie will be dethroned remains to be seen, but with Netflix stock reaching an all-time high recently, there’s a solid chance the streamer will continue to pump out more titles. As for Higher Ground, their next planned title is reportedly White Mountains, a series based on the true story of Barney and Betty Hill who “claimed they were abducted by extraterrestrials.”
What do you think? Were you a fan of Leave the World Behind when it was first released? Which Netflix original release is your favorite? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins
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