The Staggering Amount Of Time Netflix Viewers Spent Watching The Bubble's Debut

The act of movie-making during the pandemic hasn't been exactly an easy process for Hollywood studios. Many big films were delayed, and the production process changed completely thanks to on-set testing and self-quarantine procedures for actors and crew. "The Bubble," the latest comedy film from acclaimed filmmaker Judd Apatow, looks to humorously point a spotlight on the COVID era of filmmaking. "The Bubble" follows the fictional cast and crew of the equally fictional "Cliff Beasts 6: Battle for Everest: Memories of a Requiem," the latest entry in a popular franchise.

"The Bubble" premiered on Netflix on April 1. It hasn't exactly been warmly received by critics, and the film has garnered a 23% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have highlighted its writing and waste of its talented cast, calling it unfunny and "meandering." Still, Netflix's original films come with no extra cost to subscribers, so watching them is just as easy as booting up the app and clicking on them. As it so happens, Netflix users have done so with "The Bubble" at a staggering rate since its premiere date.

According to Netflix's own viewing data, viewers have spent well over 12 million hours watching "The Bubble" on the streaming service. This puts the film at No. 2 on its top 10 list, just under the Ryan Reynolds smash hit "The Adam Project." Clearly, viewers were not put off by the negative reception to the film at all, and once again, Netflix has something of a hit to add to their long list of successful original films.

It's hardly surprising that "The Bubble" is doing well. Once again, it costs subscribers nothing but their time and the money that they're already paying for a subscription anyway. Plus, the film has a pretty big ensemble cast, with the likes of Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Leslie Mann, and Fred Armisen just being a few of the bigger names attached to the project. It'll be interesting to see if "The Bubble" can maintain high numbers in the coming days and weeks, or if its poor reception from critics catches up with it sooner rather than later. Either way, this is another big success story for Netflix and director Judd Apatow.