Dakota Fanning’s horror film is getting a second chance on Netflix

Netflix continues to dominate the streaming world, and it’s honestly not hard to see why. The streamer puts out so much so-called “content” that I’m starting to wonder if half of that stuff is already generated by some horrible artificial intelligence. However, amid media pressure, Netflix released some pretty good movies in 2024especially the killer action thriller “Rebel Ridge”, which undoubtedly helped the star a lot Aaron Pierre has landed the role of Jon Stewart in DC and James Gunn’s growing shared universe.

Netflix kicked off 2025 with a bang as well, proving that streaming audiences still know a good movie when they see it in theaters Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar on his server and sees it soar to the top of the charts. No doubt the rest of the year will see more filmmaking of the same quality punctuating a sea of ​​unforgettable streaming slush. But as we prepare for the next wave to arrive, another acquired film is slowly making its way up the charts to welcome the new year. Unfortunately, this latest addition looks about as prominent as any of Netflix’s most generic original movies.

2024 year The Watchers, Ishana Night Shyamalan’s uneven but promising debut appeared on Netflix at the end of the year and, despite disappointing reviews, managed to catch the attention of Netflix users in the US

In The Watchers, Dakota Fanning stars as Mina, a young artist who finds herself in an Irish forest where she and three other strangers are being chased by some unfortunate beasts. Ishana Night Shyamalan wrote and directed the horror film, which is based on the novel of the same name by A. M. Shine in 2021 and also stars Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fuere and Oliver Finnegan. Shyamalan also switched roles with her famous father in the film “Watchers”, where M. Night Shyamalan was the second director of the film.

Unfortunately, when “The Watchers” debuted in June 2024, it barely came back to itself 30 million dollars budget did not impress critics. At the end of the same month it debuted, the film made its infamous journey from box office to VOD before hitting streaming service MAX in August. So, not the best debut for the younger Shyamalan. But perhaps her Netflix renaissance will be comforting?

The Watchers came to Netflix on December 30, 2024 and has been a decent hit for streamers ever since. According to FlixPatrolsite that tracks streaming audiences across platforms, the film entered the chart for the most-watched films in the US on December 31, coming in at number seven, before jumping to number five the following day. After reaching fourth place on January 2, 2025, The Watchers dropped to eighth place before returning to fourth place on January 6.

At the time of writing, The Watchers is challenging for fourth place with two Despicable Me films. What’s more, if the film wants to remain on the charts for the most views in the US, it will have to contend with another film coming to Netflix in late 2024: Kevin Costner’s box office bomb, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1. The western is currently the second-highest-grossing western in the US, just behind Ron Howard’s 2015 historical drama In the Heart of the Sea, which is currently number one on Netflix.

If Ishana Night Shyamalan makes it through this Netflix delay, she’ll have to unseat Howard, Costner and George Miller, whose Furyosa: The Mad Max Saga is currently in third place. in the US charts. Unfortunately, 32% result on Rotten tomatoes doesn’t bode well for “The Watchers” in that regard. Critics have accused Shyamalan of trying to recreate the tone and appeal of her father’s films, but failing despite some spectacular visuals and the ability to scare. Still, it’s not like any of us turn to Netflix for the smartest or even the highest quality entertainment, so I guess The Watchers has as much of a chance at the top spot as anyone else.