Netflix says Chris Hemsworth's 'Extraction' is pacing to be its biggest movie premiere ever

Netflix estimates the movie will be its top premiere even after taking into account the streamer's recent change in viewing metrics.
Netflix used to count a view if an account watched 70% of a movie or TV episode and now counts a view if an account watches at least two minutes.
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Netflix said on Friday that its new action movie "Extraction," starring Chris Hemsworth, was pacing to be its biggest movie premiere ever with 90 million households projected to watch it globally in its first four weeks of release.

Netflix expects "Extraction," which was released April 24, to surpass the streamer's biggest hits like "Bird Box," even when taking into account the streamer's recent change in viewing metrics. Netflix used to count a "view" if an account watched 70% of a movie or episode of a TV series. But earlier this year, it changed its viewing metric and now counts a view if an account watches at least two minutes of a movie or TV show.

"Extraction" would also beat out the Mark Wahlberg comedy "Spenser Confidential," which Netflix said in its recent Q1 earnings report was watched by 85 million households in its first four weeks under the new viewing metric.

"Extraction" has been prominent on Netflix's daily top 10 lists of its most popular titles in the US and was the most popular movie on Netflix in the US last week.

While Netflix's viewing metric measures does not equate to how many people watched a movie or TV show in its entirety, it does bode well for the streamer that its original movies like "Extraction" and "Spenser Confidential" have continued to rack up big numbers. Original content is essential as it competes against Disney Plus and upcoming services like HBO Max.

Netflix exceeded expectations in Q1 as consumers stayed home due to social distancing measures. It now has 183 million subscribers globally and around 70 million in the US. It added nearly 16 million subscribers globally in Q1, more than double its own forecast and topping Wall Street's projections.

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