The Electric State
I can’t say I’m surprised, but despite being utterly savaged by critics, a 14% rating now lower than even both Rebel Moon movies, audience scores for The Electric State are far higher now that viewers have tuned in. Not amazing, by any stretch, but higher.
As it stands, The Electric State has a 76% audience score, which is 62% higher than the critic score, another poorly reviewed Netflix original movies pleasing audiences a lot more than critics, and in the end, that’s what Netflix cares about.
We’ve seen this a number of times before. Red Notice, starring The Rock, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, the most-viewed movie in Netflix history, had a poor 37% critic score and a 92% audience score, which may be the most famous example of this. The Gray Man, also directed by The Electric State’s Russo Brothers, had a 45% critic score and a 90% audience score. Occasionally this does go the other way. I’m more than a little confused to see the excellent Carry-On with an 87% from critics and a dismal 51% from fans. I’m genuinely unsure about what happened there.
The Electric State
The Electric State comes with a unique catch, however, than the reported budget of the film is $320 million. While Netflix is no stranger to spending a lot of money on its original content, that figure would make The Electric State one of the most expensive movies ever made, and quality aside, simply viewing the film, it’s a little hard to believe that given what’s relayed onscreen, CGI-heavy or not.
Netflix is definitely going to want this film to perform. While it may not have traditional box office totals it’s seeking, they no doubt want it to place high on its all-time Top 10 list, which includes a lot of films starring a lot of A-listers (Leo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence’s Don’t Look Up, Julia Roberts’ Leave the World Behind, Ryan Gosling’s Gray Man). Starring Stranger Things lead Millie Bobby Brown and box office star Chris Pratt would certainly put it in that same category.
It is far too early to judge the actual viewership of The Electric State, given that we’ll have to wait a week or more to get relevant numbers. Yes, it is #1 on Netflix’s top 10 movie list, but that’s hardly a surprise. It is #1 in almost every region, similar to how Adolescence also is on the TV side. So, probably a strong start.
I posted my review of the film yesterday, and I maintain it’s a deeply bad movie. But I also admit that at times, critics and audiences can have wildly different opinions, and with Netflix that may happen more often than other places.
Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.
Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
