Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’ Delivers Solid Debut for Netflix

Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire has kicked off with viewing numbers that suggest a solid start to an original franchise.

Netflix announced Tuesday that the science fiction fantasy was the most viewed title on the streaming giant following its debut the night of Dec. 21, generating 23.9 million views in three (plus a few hours) days.

The numbers are a solid kickoff for the movie, which doesn’t have big A-listers and is flying on the strength of the filmmaking brand of Snyder, who is best known for directing DC superhero movies such as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and his Justice League film.

Rebel Moon was the bright star of the week for Netflix. For comparison’s sake, the next most viewed title was the sci-fi-tinged Leave the World Behind, the drama starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Mahershala Ali and produced by the Obamas, which clocked in 19.7 million views in seven days of viewing.

“It’s been a truly unparalleled experience introducing Rebel Moon to global audiences and I’m thrilled that the movie is #1 around the world,” Snyder said in a statement. “We have the most dedicated and loyal fans across the world that any filmmaker could ask for, and seeing them consistently be supportive has been an enormously rewarding experience.

While Rebel Moon opens strong, more telling will be the week two numbers. Insiders say that second week tends to be big for movies as they get a full week of viewing as opposed to just the opening weekend, and it’s also when word of mouth kicks in. Moon does have some competition it needs to catch up on, however. Leave the World Behind opened to a whopping 41.7 million views.

The threshold to hit Netflix’s top 10, which counts views racked up in the first 91 days, is at the 135 million marks. The number 10 spot is held by 2, the Chris Hemsworth action movie, with 134.9 million views. Going up the list to the top, past movies such as The Mother (136.4M) and The Adam Project (157.6M) and Don’t Look Up (171.4M), is Red Notice, which has 230.9M views. The latter starred Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot.

Co-written and directed by Snyder, Rebel Moon tells of a peaceful moon settlement in the furthest reaches of the universe that finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical leader. A mysterious stranger named Kora, played by Sofia Boutella, who becomes their best hope for survival. The movie also stars Ed Skrein, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, and Michiel Huisman.

Netflix gave Rebel Moon a massive worldwide rollout to generate international awareness. The first-look footage was unveiled at the company’s Tudum event in São Paulo this June. Next, it debuted the film’s teaser trailer at gamescom in Cologne, Germany in August.

In the fall was a traveling immersive trailer experience that launched at ComplexCon in Long Beach, California, followed by stops at CCXP in São Paulo, where the company also hosted the first screening of the film, as well as events in London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Melbourne, and Tokyo. More than 5,000 fans stepped onto a real movie set, where they went into hair, make-up, wardrobe and were armed with props to star in their own personalized Rebel Moon trailers.

In December, Netflix staged a series of “moon takeovers” in different locations and formats to introduce fans to the world of the film. During the holiday bustle in London and Milan, there were enormous moon installations surrounded by wheat fields next to the Tower Bridge and Piazza Gae Aulenti, respectively. In Poland, the company took over the Lublin Castle

There were installations in Jakarta, Indonesia and Oslo, Norway. And finally, Netflix assembled a drone show at Sphere in Las Vegas from Dec. 18-20.

The Rebel Moon saga continues with Rebel Moon –  Part Two: The Scargiver which will debut April 19, 2024.