‘Madame Web’ Outstreamed ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ in First Weeks (Despite Flopping in Theaters)

Madame Web didn’t do well in theaters, but it just beat Deadpool & Wolverine in early streaming views — even if there’s a catch.

While Madame Web was a box office flop, it surprised people by pulling in more views than Deadpool & Wolverine during its first two weeks on streaming. According to Nielsen, Madame Web got 16 million views on Netflix in its first 14 days. In comparison, Deadpool & Wolverine got 15.8 million views on Disney+ during the same time frame.

That might sound surprising, especially since Deadpool & Wolverine made a huge $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, while Madame Web only made $100.5 million. So, how did Madame Web come out on top in streaming views?

First, Netflix has more subscribers than Disney+, so more people had access to Madame Web right away. With a bigger audience, it makes sense that the film could be watched more, even by people who weren’t interested before.

Second, a lot of people already saw Deadpool & Wolverine in theaters. Many fans saw it more than once on the big screen, so they weren’t in a hurry to stream it again at home. On the other hand, many skipped Madame Web in theaters but were curious to see it once it landed on Netflix. For some, it was just an easy click away on a quiet night, especially if they didn’t have to pay extra.

Even though the movie got lots of views, Madame Web still received harsh criticism. It recently “won” several Razzie Awards, which are given to the worst films of the year. It took home:

• Worst Picture
• Worst Actress for Dakota Johnson
• Worst Screenplay

These awards put Madame Web in the same category as other badly reviewed superhero movies like 2015’s Fantastic Four.

So, while Madame Web did better in streaming than many expected, it’s not because the movie was well-loved. It may have just been easy to access, or fans were simply curious about how bad it really was.

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