At around $20 million per episode, “3 Body Problem” is one of Netflix’s most expensive series. The problem, however, is that the high costs of the science fiction series do not seem to reflect the corresponding viewing figures. So could it end up being a flop?
Netflix may is definitely the top streaming services as of now. But they take very strict care to ensure that the investment in films and series is also reflected in viewing figures, usage time and new registrations. Now that the streaming service has released the Netflix charts for the week of March 18-24, 2024, you have to put at least a small question mark behind a second season of “3 Body Problem.” The science fiction series from “Game Of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss was at least not a resounding success in the first days after its release on March 21.
No chance against the gentlemen
With exactly 11 million views in the first four days after release, “3 Body Problem” only made it to No. 2 in the current Netflix series weekly charts. It fell behind the Guy Ritchie gangster series “The Gentlemen,”. It reached 11.7 million views in its third week. Views, as hours watched divided by total running time, are the new benchmark for most content on streaming services.
But there is an important detail here. “The Gentlemen” had the full week to collect views. “3 Body Problem” didn’t start until Thursday, so it only had four days. But In the first week, “The Gentlemen” (also within four days) had 12.2 million views. So the gangster series got off to a better start in a very comparable period. In it’s second week (the first full week), it then soared to 20.1 million views. And that brings us to the good news for all “3 Body Problem” fans:
Will 3 Body Problem flop or do better in week 3?
The sci-fi series is likely to gain a lot in the second week. This is not only shown by the experience of the past (see “The Gentlemen”, for example), but also “3 Body Problem” seems to be on the rise. According to the portal Flixpatrol, the series was at number 1 in the Netflix series charts in just 17 countries at launch. Then in 60 countries on day 2, in 70 countries on day 3 and even in 77 countries on March 25, 2024 (not in the current weekly charts).
If “3 Body Problem” can maintain this momentum the series could still be successful in the coming weeks. But it’s still uncertain whether this will be enough for Netflix to order a second season.
A look at the other major series launches also show this. For example, “Avatar – The Lord of the Elements” started better with 21.2 million views on the first four days. Drug lord “Griselda” also had 20.6 million views at the start.
Also read: Obama turned down a role in Game of Thrones creators’ series!
