Which Movies Actually Popped (and Flopped) on Streaming in 2024?
Dec 13, 2024
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Matt welcomes the Entertainment Strategy Guy, an expert on streaming strategies and film performance. They analyze which TV shows crucially impacted streaming services in 2024, highlighting successes and disappointments in movie releases. The duo also discusses the evolving landscape of streaming sports viewership and the enduring appeal of crime dramas. To lighten the conversation, they indulge in the iconic Tom Cruise coconut bundt cake, weaving fun anecdotes into industry insights.
The podcast highlights Netflix's 'Bridgerton' as a pivotal show for driving original content creation and viewership success in 2024.
It discusses the challenges high-budget films face on streaming platforms, particularly noting that animation struggles without theatrical releases.
Deep dives
Year in Streaming Overview
The episode covers the significant trends in streaming TV ratings for the year, noting that Netflix leads the pack in usage and subscriber count. Bridgerton is highlighted as the most important show for Netflix due to its impressive viewing numbers and impact on the platform's original content creation, particularly with Shonda Rhimes at the helm. For Amazon Prime, Thursday Night Football stands out as a driver of weekly engagement, with Fallout also emerging as a critical success. Disney Plus saw mixed results with Agatha: Darkhold Diaries being mentioned, but Percy Jackson is acknowledged as a more substantial achievement in the past year, despite the general slowdown in Marvel-related content.
Streaming Platforms and Key Performers
The podcast identifies key shows from various streaming platforms, emphasizing Sony Hulu's Shogun as a standout, while low performance in the form of missed opportunities is discussed. Hulu's returning shows, like Only Murders in the Building and The Bear, retain audience interest due to their consistent scheduling. However, there were notable failures, like Life & Beth and The Veil, deemed 'dogs not barking' for their lack of viewer engagement. Even with hits like The Bear, Hulu's production strategy is called into question as it garners criticism for releasing several titles that failed to resonate with audiences.
Film Performance in Streaming
When exploring the film side of streaming, the podcast indicates the disparity between theatrical success and streaming viewership, highlighting the confusion around identifying successful films. Netflix's Damsel is pointed out as the top streaming film, but many others don't receive the same recognition even when they perform decently. Furthermore, the conversation shifts to how big-budget films struggle more on streaming, as seen with Rebel Moon, which fell significantly short of expectations. This points to a broader trend that animation films struggle without theatrical releases, indicating that established IPs can aid in securing greater audience attendance and retention.
Broader Industry Insights
A significant takeaway from the discussions is the idea that production budgets across the industry may need to be reconsidered to adjust to changing viewership trends. The phenomenon of true crime and crime-related scripted television continues to dominate the ratings, reaffirming the audience's appetite for mystery elements. The podcast suggests that stories involving crime often perform better than standard dramas, pushing writers to incorporate these themes to attract viewership. Lastly, there’s an acknowledgment that while streaming has thrived on original content, the increasing influence of established franchises through sequels and adaptations shows a shift towards familiar narratives in a crowded market.
Matt is joined by the Entertainment Strategy Guy to help find out which TV shows were the most important to their streaming service in 2024 before revealing which movies actually performed well on streaming and which largely disappointed. He runs through the biggest movie releases of the year on streaming and reveals just how successful or disappointing they were (01:26). Matt and Craig finish the show by tasting the famous Tom Cruise coconut bundt cake (26:56).
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