From Box Office Flop to Streaming Sensation: How a 2023 Movie Turned Losses Into Netflix Success
Discover the remarkable journey of a movie that struggled at the box office, recouping only a fraction of its budget, but later soared to global fame on Netflix.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, starring Lana Condor, has become a global sensation on Netflix. The animated feature follows a young woman concealing her family's secret of being sea monsters. The star-studded voice cast includes Toni Collette, Colman Domingo, Jane Fonda, and Annie Murphy. Despite being a box office flop, the movie cost Universal $80 million.
Netflix recently released their Top 10 most-watched English-language movies for the week of February 19 through February 25. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken by DreamWorks secured the 5th spot with 6.5 million viewers streaming the film for a total of 9.8 million hours. Surprisingly, it surpassed Netflix's original animated movie Orion and the Dark, which landed at No. 9 during its fourth weekend on the platform.
Can There Be Redemption For Ruby Gillman?
Ruby Gillman in her with her mouth hanging open in Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken. - Can There Be Redemption For Ruby Gillman?
The Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken box office suffered a significant loss, making it doubtful that it could ever become profitable. With a production budget of $70 million, the film would have needed to earn at least $140 million to break even. Unfortunately, it only managed to bring in $41.6 million at the worldwide box office, barely recouping more than half of its budget.
In contrast, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken only had a 49-day run in domestic theaters, a stark difference from Pixar's Elemental which premiered in the same month and enjoyed a 105-day run.
While the conclusion of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken tied up the movie's story nicely, it also left room for potential sequels if given the green light. Despite its underwhelming box office performance, the growing support on Netflix could spark renewed interest in a follow-up.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken boasts an audience score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a Fresh critic score of 65%. Although the movie may struggle to reach its break-even point on Netflix alone, sustained popularity could pave the way for a potential continuation of the story, possibly in the form of an animated series.
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RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN
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Source: Netflix
Editor's P/S:
The article highlights the contrasting fortunes of "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken" at the box office and on Netflix. While the film's theatrical release was a financial disappointment, its popularity on the streaming platform suggests that it may yet find redemption. The strong audience and critical reception, combined with the room left for sequels, indicates that the story has potential for further development.
However, the article also acknowledges the challenges faced by the film in recouping its production costs. Despite its success on Netflix, it remains unlikely that the movie will ever become profitable. This raises questions about the viability of large-budget animated films that fail to perform well at the box office. It remains to be seen whether streaming platforms can provide a safety net for such films, allowing them to gain traction and potentially spawn sequels or other spin-offs.
