Danny DeVito’s 1996 Box Office Flop-Turned-Cult Comedy Blows up Netflix US Top
Suddenly having a superpower was everyone’s dream in childhood, wasn’t it?
I may have repeated this a couple of million times, but Netflix is a real modern-day hero when it comes to movies and shows from years ago that didn’t get enough attention back in the day, and the streaming giant’s renewed top 10 chart is yet another proof of it.
Netflix’s constantly changing top is always a weird mix of all kinds of movies that were lucky to get into its infinite collection, but one of the newcomers of this week is in fact a very unexpected challenger to compete with the streaming’s newest arrivals.
Danny DeVito’s fantasy comedy film Matilda is getting a second life on Netflix after almost 30 years since its theatrical release and is currently holding the 8th position in the US top.
Initially released back in 1996, Matilda is based on Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel of the same name and is helmed by comedy legend Danny DeVito who is also one of the lead actors.
The movie follows the titular character, portrayed by Mara Wilson, an exceptionally bright little girl who, just like many other gifted kids, struggles to get along with her distant parents since they both think Matilda is too different from her peers.
When she finally starts school and suddenly finds yet another challenge for herself when sadistic headmistress Agatha Trunchbull starts nagging at her, Matilda discovers that she has the power of telekinesis, which may come in handy for avenging Trunchbull's attacks.
Upon its release years ago, Matilda showed a pretty controversial result in the theaters. The movie eventually flopped in the box office, grossing only $47 million against the initial budget of $36 million, yet still made it up to its commercial failure when it turned out to be a critical darling.
Despite not being able to boast of success in the box office, Matilda landed impressive scores of 92% and 73% from critics and viewers respectively on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was definitely the audience’s liking, yet the reasons for its bad luck in the cinemas still remains a mystery.
Matilda is currently getting viewers’ attention once again and is available for streaming on Netflix worldwide.