Netflix has hit the jackpot after betting on Zack Snyder's newest zombie flick, Army of the Dead. According to Deadline, the action-packed heist film is on its way to becoming one of the streamer’s top 10 most-watched movies. Analysts estimate that Snyder's latest will shamble toward 72 million viewing households in its first four weeks. That's a lot of subscribers willing to march into the bloody streets of Las Vegas alongside Dave Bautista and his rag-tag crew of zombie hunters.
Before debuting on Netflix, Army of the Dead raged in theaters to become the No. 1 film in more than 70 countries and a top film in over 90. As you might have noticed, Netflix is one of the few streaming services that isn't shy about sharing its viewership numbers. This is likely due to the service being proud of its original content, in addition to sending a clear signal to creators that streaming success is here to stay.
Netflix’s top 10 most-watched movies are as follows:
1. Extraction – 99 Million
2. Bird Box – 89 Million
3. Spenser Confidential – 85 Million
4. 6 Underground – 83 Million
5. Murder Mystery – 83 Million
6. The Old Guard – 78 Million
7. Enola Holmes – 76 Million
8. Project Power – 75 Million
9. (tied) The Midnight Sky and Army of the Dead – 72 Million
I'm betting that Netflix knew what they had when they signed Zack Snyder to a multi-film contract. He's one of the hottest filmmakers in the game, and there's an army of loyal fans who will follow him onto any entertainment platform. Giving him the means to create a new and epic universe is, simply put, smart business. To this end, Netflix has already contracted Snyder for an Army of the Dead prequel directed by and starring Matthias Schweighöfer, which will follow his Army of the Dead character Ludwig Dieter. The prequel, which is set to arrive later this year, is written by one of the original film writers, Shay Hatten.
To expand the universe even further, an Army of the Dead anime series is also in the works. The anime series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, chronicles the origin story of Bautista’s Scott and his rescue crew during the initial fall of Vegas as they confront the mysterious source of the zombie outbreak. Snyder will direct two episodes of the anime series. Jay Oliva is showrunning as well as directing two episodes of the series. The anime will be executive produced by Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Wesley Coller from The Stone Quarry alongside Jay Olivia and Shay Hatten. De la Reguera, Notaro, Hardwick, and Purnell will reprise their feature roles for the anime series.
There's simply no telling how far Snyder and his crew can take the Army of the Dead franchise. It's already paying out with big numbers, and this is only the beginning.