Netflix’s ‘The Electric State’ Struggles to Ignite Streaming Charts
The star-studded dystopian adventure film, The Electric State, appears to have debuted with less than stellar results on Netflix.
Top Spot on Netflix U.S. Doesn’t Indicate Blockbuster Performance
Despite securing the top position in the U.S. on Netflix’s weekly Top 10 Movies list, its popularity may be primarily attributed to its recent release. The list update coincided with the film’s debut on March 14.
Initial Viewership Figures Fall Short of Expectations
Joe Adalian, West Coast editor for Vulture, analyzed the performance of the Joe and Anthony Russo-directed film on Bluesky. In a March 18 post, Adalian stated that The Electric State generated only 25.2 million views globally during its debut weekend. He noted this figure is “significantly less than major action hits such as Carry On and The Gray Man” and suggests it “likely won’t rank among the top 10 biggest opening weekends of the year” for Netflix.
Contextualizing Viewership Numbers
What’s On Netflix provided further context, indicating that The Electric State only outperformed Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire, Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver, The Six Triple Eight, and Unfrosted in terms of cumulative views within the first week of streaming for Netflix Originals.
Netflix’s Most Expensive Film to Date
The Electric State carries a substantial budget of $320 million, making it Netflix’s most costly original film. Other high-budget Netflix productions include:
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- The Gray Man: $200 million
- Red Notice: $200 million
- The Irishman: $160 million
- 6 Underground: $150 million
These figures, reported by ScreenRant, highlight the significant investment Netflix has made in original content, with The Electric State leading the list.
Russo Brothers’ Track Record vs. Current Performance
The film’s reception marks a departure from the Russo Brothers’ previous successes, particularly their acclaimed work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their Marvel projects include:
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Captain America: Civil War
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame notably became the highest-grossing film of all time at one point, earning $2.79 billion globally.
Film’s Plot and Star-Studded Cast
The Electric State is adapted from Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same title. The narrative centers on Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) as she teams up with Keats (Chris Pratt) and a robot named Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie) to locate her brother, Christopher (Woody Norman), who she initially believed to be deceased.
Extensive Voice and On-Screen Talent
Beyond Mackie, the film features a prominent voice cast including Woody Harrelson, Hank Azaria, Jenny Slate, and Brian Cox. The on-screen cast also includes Ke Huy Quan, Stanley Tucci, Michelle Yeoh, Colman Domingo, and Jason Alexander.
Critical Reception: A Negative Verdict
John Serba, contributor for DECIDER, delivered a negative review of The Electric State, advising viewers to “SKIP IT.” Serba criticized the Russo Brothers for producing “the ultimate costly, excessive production, a combination of promising source material made bland, tiresome musical cues, underutilized star cast, and over-reliance on visual effects, all executed with a lack of artistic direction. It’s a formula that’s quintessentially Netflix.”