Netflix's 'Silence of the Lambs' Replacement Officially Nears Major Viewership Milestone

Produced on a reported budget of $50 million, Netflix's new psychological thriller is continuing the streamer's successful pivot to mid-budget genre movies. Netflix had been spending billions on mega-budget tentpoles over the years, but movies like KPop Demon Hunters, an acquired title, and Carry-On, a relatively contained thriller, proved that all-important engagement was possible at lower cost. In recent months, Netflix has delivered a string of similar titles, with the Alan Ritchson-led sci-fi thriller War Machine emerging as one of its all-time biggest blockbusters by clocking more than 150 million views. In a few days, the streak will likely continue with Ben Affleck's latest directorial venture, Animals.

Netflix has already delivered several hit movies that were able to pass the coveted 100-million-views milestone this year — besides War Machine, the list includes the animated hit Swapped, the survival thrillers Apex and Thrash, and the crime thriller The Rip. More recently, the Spielbergian sci-fi movie The Last House managed to top 80 million views despite poor reviews. Netflix's homage to '90s-era psychological thrillers such as The Silence of the Lambs received only slightly more positive reviews. But it's on track to pass the 80-million-views mark this week.

The Movie Received Mediocre Reviews from Audiences and Critics

We're talking about The Whisper Man, starring Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, and Michelle Monaghan. According to Netflix's latest viewership report, the film added 4 million views for the week of September 21 to September 27. This puts its total views at around 78 million after five weeks in the top 10 list. The Whisper Man follows a grieving father who relocates to his childhood town, where he finds himself at the center of horrific events. He is forced to reconnect with his estranged father as he investigates the re-emergence of a possible serial killer targeting children. Also featuring Michael Keaton and Owen Teague, the film now holds a 46% critics' score and a 37% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator website's consensus reads, "Assembling an impressive cast to go through the motions, The Whisper Man is reasonably creepy but could've stood to crank up the fresh ideas and genuine tension by a few more decibels."