Netflix CEO Thinks Critics Who Disliked Bright Are ‘Disconnected’

Netflix had a pretty great year last year. They released their largest slate of original films to date, and even began dabbling in more big-budget fare with the Will Smith vehicle Bright, which was made for $90 million.

The film performed incredibly well, taking in 11 million viewers in its first three days alone, according to Nielsen. While Netflix contested these stats, they did not deny that the film did well for them, and their moving forward with a sequel is enough of an indication that its budget was well justified.

Though while the movie was well-watched, it wasn’t exactly well-reviewed. The David Ayer film ended up with an awful 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. While there were only 87 total reviews (which is pretty low for a standard, big-budget film), most critics seemed to fall in line that the movie wasn’t the greatest.

Will Netflix perhaps rethink things after getting killed by critics? It doesn’t sound like it, as indicated by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings during a pre-taped video presentation.

“The critics are pretty disconnected from the mass appeal. Most of the critical reviews you read are English language, just U.S.”

Admittedly, the comment is pretty damn snooty. While I enjoyed Bright for what it was, it was nowhere near a perfect film. Most of the stuff I connected with was character and mythology, and the plot I could have done completely without. More than anything, I wanted a sequel that would give the characters better things to do. If this is an indication that we can expect more of the same in Bright 2, then I’ll be disappointed.

That being said, Hastings’ comments do highlight one important thing: that the U.S. is only one small part of their overall revenue pie. What may appeal to us may not necessarily appeal to others around the world, and vice-versa. Perhaps in appealing to us more, it could come at the cost of the worldwide market, and whether we like it or not, Netflix is a global entity.

What do you think of Hastings’ comments? Do you think they should keep things going as-is, or should Bright really be looked at and improved as much as possible? Let us know down below!

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SOURCE: Variety

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