‘Netflix is the best thing that happened to bad films’-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

Netflix has mastered the art of a bad movie – and nowhere does it thrive more than Christmas (Picture: Netflix/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – when Netflix’s latest batch of laughably terrible Christmas movies dominate the streaming charts.

But what exactly is the allure of the terrible Netflix film formula – and do we risk losing quality movies along the way?

For the past two weeks, Netflix’s top global movie has been Lindsay Lohan’s Our Little Secret – a feel-good trashy festive rom-com that sees two ‘resentful exes’ forced to spend Christmas together when their partners turn out to be siblings.

The week before that? Chad Michael Murray’s Merry Gentlemen. The week before that? Lacey Chabert’s Hot Frosty. The week before that? Meet Me Next Christmas.

All with similar cheesy premises to their name.

Netflix has been rolling out these movies in earnest since as far back as 2017 (with movies such as Christmas Inheritance and The Christmas Chronicles) and it is only growing in popularity every year.

These cheesy Hallmark-esque Christmas movies have been airing on Netflix for years now (Picture: Brooke Palmer/Netflix/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

This year movies like Hot Frosty have made quite the impression (Picture: Petr Maur/Netflix)

And the top 10 strategy is now rolling out all year around (Picture: Allen Fraser/Netflix)

But it is not a phenomenon isolated to Christmas. In the past few months, poorly-reviewed movies (the majority with below 40% on Rotten Tomatoes) such as Lonely Planet, Time Cut and The Union have all enjoyed startlingly huge viewership.

This addiction to badly made and even more badly acted movies has become a Netflix speciality that no other streamer can compete with.

In one breath the company is producing the most Golden Globe-nominated musical of all time (Emilia Perez) and in another, expanding the Lindsay Lohan cinematic universe to include yet another eye-wince-inducing, yet somehow A-list heavy, plot.

‘It’s a really strategic way of keeping the whole family watching the streamer and allows their numbers to increase,’ brand and culture expert Nick Ede explained to Metro.

‘They know that there is a demand for these types of films. They use clever algorithms they know that what will engage new subscribers and keep families watching Netflix.

‘[What’s more] by adding in bigger budgets to a traditionally low budget movie genre allows them to have bigger stars in them commanding more interest and ultimately more viewers.’

And Nick firmly believes Netflix has given new life to this genre of movie.

‘Traditionally they would be watched on Channel Five in the afternoon and no one would really talk about them.

Netflix has given a platform to cheesy movies in a way no other place has done (Picture: Sophie Giraud/Netflix)

‘But now streaming high-quality Christmas movies makes them appeal to a new demographic, gives them credibility and ultimately has brought a new lease of life to films which don’t normally get any attention.’

And not only has Netflix cracked the formula, but it seems to have cornered the market.

When asking fans if any other platform or streamer is competing for their attention, the answer was a resounding no.

‘Somehow when I watch Christmas movies off Prime they actually seem too cringe to consume,’ movie-watcher Darshita Goyal shared.

‘I honestly don’t know why I have blinders on for Netflix, I think it was the first streaming platform I used growing up and so I’m biased to the interface — I know what to expect and so I always gravitate to their Christmas movies over others.’

Darshita (whose favourite movie this year was Meet Me Next Christmas) described the movie-watching experience as a ‘brain break’.

She explained: ‘There are no jump scares; no gut-wrenching twists, even the conflict is minuscule and rewards you with a high.’ And, just as Nick predicted, she loves ‘the discourse’.

She continued: ‘I instantly go online to see who is saying what about a new show or film, with these Christmas movies it feels like me time. No pressure to discuss or break down. It’s like doomscrolling but more controlled and happier.’

Fans agree that they don’t seek this type of entertainment with any other streamer – for the most part (Picture: MPCA/Netflix/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

And fellow fan Michele Thiel, whose favourites include The Knight Before Christmas and A Christmas Prince, added: ‘Prime, and Disney have a couple but Netflix really is top tier. Hallmark is a bit too cheesy for me.

‘Netflix strikes the right formula of not being completely out of the realm of possibility (apart from Hot Frosty).’

Although there has been some concern that the sheer popularity of these more easily digestible, broad-stroke movies could dilute the quality of content, Head of School at MetFilm School Justin Trefgarne reassures that is not the case.

He said: ‘Netflix is driving to be a home for all tastes – so there’s no chance of the artsier films disappearing.

‘People are always bemoaning the end of “intelligent” films, but the truth is the commercial films subsidise those projects directly and indirectly, so to create an “us and them” narrative is naïve and shows little appreciation of how a commercial entity operates.’

And although these kinds of film dominate the charts, it’s unlikely the more high-brow movies are going anywhere (Picture: Brooke Palmer/Netflix/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

And if anything, people’s behaviour and often ‘multi-screen’ watching are the main reasons movies like this are gaining more traction.

Justin added: ‘We get the movies we deserve – if we didn’t want these kinds of films on your screens then maybe put down your phone for a couple of hours. But people aren’t willing to do that, so that’s the content we get.’

And, as proven by Darshita, Netflix clearly know that the worse a film is, the more likely it is to spark conversation.

Ultimately, it looks as though Netflix has forayed where no other entity has before – creating the perfect festive movie that captures the imagination without being too far-fetched.

As Nick concluded: ‘They are the ultimate guilty pleasure that can be digested so easily you can be making a turkey sandwich, doing the washing up, wrapping presents or just scrolling on TikTok and you’ll feel as if you know the plot and the ending before the title credits have finished.’

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