As we enter 2025, the future of the box office seems more uncertain than ever, but if there’s one thing we’re sure of, it’s that we’re all destined (or doomed, take your pick) to scrolling through Netflix’s interface for years to come. . Over the past few weeks, amid the usual festivities, the streamer has offered up its usual cavalcade of genre-decent “content” that was pouring out of our collective cortex as quickly as it entered it. Netflixers propelled Megan Fox’s sci-fi thriller ‘Subservience’ to the top of the streamer charts during the holiday season, while spy thriller series “Black Doves” led by Keira Knightley also triumphed in the Netflix rankings.
But Netflix’s 2024 hasn’t been entirely defined by slickly produced but somehow instantly forgettable movies and TV shows. In the middle of the 10 best Netflix movies of 2024we had some real highlights, including what proved to be a watershed moment for Aaron Pierre in the excellent “Rebel Ridge” and the moving family drama of “His Three Daughters.”
However, 2025 will undoubtedly see a continuation of the media assault. But as we prepare for the new start of the streaming slag cavalcade, the year has at least started off well enough. Streaming audiences even gave us some hope by propelling a modern sci-fi classic to the top of the Netflix charts in the form of what might be Christopher Nolan’s best film: “Interstellar.”
Interstellar rockets at the top of the Netflix rankings
In 2024, Christopher Nolan followed up with even more success what was already a record year for him in 2023. Having directed the first box office blockbuster to win the Oscar for best picture in 20 years with “Oppenheimer” the previous year, 2024 saw Nolan re-release his 2014 effort “Interstellar” in theaters, became a box office success 10 years after its debut. Today, the film has arrived on Netflix, where it is once again a great success.
“Interstellar” was released on Netflix on January 1, 2024 and, although it is already a well-known sci-fi epic that has been part of the cultural conversation for a decade, immediately began to rise in the charts. most viewed rankings. According to FlixPatrola site that tracks streaming audience data across platforms, the film debuted on the United States’ most-watched movie chart at number three on January 2. It remains in third place as of January 3, but could very well reach number one. during the coming week. To do that, though, it’ll have to compete with exactly the kind of mediocre streaming movies that seem designed as anti-Nolan entertainment.
Interstellar versus streaming landscape
If we take an optimistic approach, the success of “Interstellar” on Netflix at least suggests that there is hope for the streaming sphere in 2025. While the popularity of streaming something like Michael Fassbender’s 2023 flop ‘The Snowman’ seemed to suggest Netflixers would watch anythingChristopher Nolan continues his mission to prove that audiences are still hungry for high-quality cinematic offerings in the streaming age. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how “Interstellar” fares against the “Die Hard 2”-style Christmas action thriller “Carry-On,” which currently sits at No. 1 on the most-watched charts in the U.S. United.
The Taron Egerton-starring actioner is exactly the kind of thing Netflix has become known for. It’s an entertaining watch that, overall, does little to prevent it from being completely buried under the hail of upcoming “content”, ultimately dooming it to the cluttered annals of streaming history . So it will be interesting to see if “Interstellar” can unseat “Carry-On” or if the streaming movie remains king of the charts. Nolan’s sci-fi epic will also have to beat out Ron Howard’s 2015 adventure drama, “In the Heart of the Sea,” which is currently in second place in the United States.
In the meantime, Nolan, who will soon bring a Greek epic to the big screen with his upcoming 2026 project “The Odyssey,” probably isn’t too bothered by “Interstellar” charting on Netflix anyway. The director is notoriously fond of physical media and has spoken widely about the dangers of streaming-only media. Still, it’s impressive to see the film score multiple wins 10 years after its first release.
