Netflix's Success with Society of the Snow: A Game Changer for International Films

The Impact of Society of the Snow

Netflix launches 2024 strong with its survival biopic, Society of the Snow, garnering high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes from audiences and critics alike. The biographical movie directed by J.A. Bayona retells the harrowing true story of a group of young men who miraculously survived a plane crash and were stranded for 72 days in the Andes Mountains. This is far from the first time the 52-year-old story has been retold and adapted, but Bayona's sensitive and harrowing dramatization has propelled it back into the spotlight. The Society of the Snow cast comprises a huge ensemble, including Enzo Vogrincic Rold\u00e1n, Mat\u00edas Recalt, Agust\u00edn Pardella, Tomas Wolf, and others. J.A. Bayona is known for directing movies, such as The Impossible and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Cast of the Society of the Snow movie as survivors of the Andres flight crash

The critical and audience scores for Society of the Snow have now been tabulated on Rotten Tomatoes. Currently, the movie's critical score stands at a solid 90% on the review aggregation site, based on 110 reviews. Meanwhile, audiences are largely in agreement with critics, as the audience score stands at a close 86% based on over 250 reviews. Critics and audiences alike praised the survival movie for its sensitivity, inspirational themes, and storytelling techniques, making it one of the first major hits for Netflix in 2024.

Society of the Snow's Impact on Netflix's International Film Strategy

Society of the Snow may do more for Netflix than earn good reviews, as it also has a lot of potential going into the awards season. The Netflix biopic has already been nominated for the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film and shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. If it garners a final Academy Award nomination spot for the category and potentially wins on Oscar night, it would mark the second year in a row Netflix took home the Best International Film award. Last year, the streamer nabbed the award with its epic war movie All Quiet on the Western Front, alongside three major awards: Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design.

Society of the Snow carries on the pattern of Netflix distributing and producing critically acclaimed international films. The streamer is also responsible for Roma, which became the first Mexican movie entry to win Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other international hits from the streamer, including Poland's The Hater and India's Gangubai Kathiawadi. Unsurprisingly, Netflix has been heavily invested in international and foreign language films since it is available in over 190 countries and must cater to a diverse audience.

The global success of Netflix's original international movies indicates changing attitudes towards diversity in the TV and film industry. This has been an ongoing trend over the past decade, including the Best Picture win for the 2019 Korean movie Parasite, the first-ever international movie to achieve this feat, and the 2022 sensation of Telugu-language movie RRR. As a result, Society of the Snow's success may incentivize the streamer to invest further in its foreign-language content.