In a December packed with new releases on Netflix, one film has risen above the rest, capturing the attention of viewers worldwide. “Leave The World Behind,” a gripping apocalyptic psychological thriller directed by Sam Esmail and starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon, took the streaming platform by storm.
Released on December 8, 2023, following a brief theater run, the film swiftly claimed the top spot on Netflix’s chart for the week of December 4 to 10, accumulating a staggering 41.7 million views. This impressive feat solidified its position as the most-watched movie of the week, firmly holding the No. 1 spot among English-language films.
Based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name, “Leave The World Behind,” which runs for 141 minutes, has already proven itself to be a massive hit. Despite being in the top spot for only its first week, the film garnered a total of 98,700,000 hours viewed, surpassing other titles on the list.
For context, second place went to Family Switch with 18.6 million views and 32,900,000 hours viewed by being on the chart for the second week. The third spot went to Leo, Adam Sandler’s animated film, which accumulated a total of 14.2 million views with 25,400,000 hours viewed by being on the list for the third time. The Super Mario Bros. Movie managed to secure fourth place with a total of 13.2M views as it garnered 20,300,000 hours viewed by being on the chart for the second week.
On the other hand, Catering Christmas got 8.7 million views, for a total of 12,500,000 hours viewed by being on the list for the second time. The remaining titles include Nobody in the sixth spot with 6.9 million hours viewed. Christmas as Usual placed in the seventh spot with a total of 6.7 million views, along with The Fast and the Furious with 6.3 million views and The Fate of the Furious with a total of 6 million views. The last spot was taken by B&B Merry, with 4.6 million hours viewed during this week.
Take a look at the official list released by Netflix:
About ‘Leave The World Behind’
The official synopsis of the film, which is produced, written, and directed by Sam Esmail, reads as follows:
“In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Esmail (Mr. Robot), Amanda (Academy Award winner Roberts) and her husband, Clay (Academy Award nominee Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie).
Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Academy Award winner Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la Herrold) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.
Based on the National Book Award–nominated novel by Alam, Leave the World Behind is produced by Esmail Corp, Red Om Films, and executive produced by Higher Ground Productions.”
It received generally positive reviews from critics who felt that the cast performances made up for the shortcomings in its story and pacing. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 114 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website’s consensus reads: “An exceptionally well-acted apocalyptic thriller, Leave the World Behind steadily draws the viewer in despite its leisurely pace and somewhat simplistic messaging.” Metacritic assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating “generally favorable” reviews.
Take a look at the official final trailer below, which highlights how a family’s getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices and two strangers appear at their door.
