Netflix has revealed which of its recently released TV shows will become its next big hit, and it's not Cowboy Bebop or Tiger King season 2.
Arcane, the Netflix-hosted adaptation of Riot Games' popular League of Legends video game, is currently set to become the streamer's next big hit.
And by far too. According to Netflix Top 10, a recently launched official Netflix website that reveals the most popular movies and TV shows on the streaming giant in the past seven days, Arcane has left season 2 of Cowboy Bebop and Tiger King in its wake. .
During the week ending November 21, Arcane amassed more than 38 million viewing hours in the past seven days. In contrast, the live-action Cowboy Bebop, which many expected to perform well despite perceived apathy towards adaptation, falls behind with just 21.6 million hours watched. Meanwhile, the latest Tiger King entry logged 30,3 million hours viewed in the same amount of time.
This is not all either. According to global audience analytics company Parrot Analytics, Arcane season 1 was the third most requested television show across all streaming platforms as of November 21. Amazon's Wheel of Time and HBO's Game of Thrones are the only TV series that saw a higher viewer demand during the same time period.
Since the release of the first three episodes of Arcane on November 6, the series' popularity has grown exponentially. Data from Parrot Analytics shows that global audience interest in Arcane has grown by 629% since the launch of its first season, of which 228% came from US viewers. Through November 19, Arcane Season 1 even surpassed Stranger Things and The Mandalorian as the number one digital streaming series in the United States.
So what's up? Why has Arcane performed so well compared to other recent Netflix TV offerings?
For starters: critically acclaimed. Arcane currently has a 98% audience rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a 100% "certified fresh" rating among reviewers. Many outlets (ourselves included) praised the beautiful painterly-style 3D animation, voice acting, intricacy of the characters and story, and the build of the show.
Cowboy Bebop and Tiger King season 2, meanwhile, were less well received. The former posted scores of 54% and 48% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes, while Tiger King did even worse, racking up scores of 41% and 18% among fans and critics.
Then there is word of mouth. Like the Squid Game before it, Arcane wasn't really on anyone's radar before its release, as Tiger King season 2 and Cowboy Bebop were positioned as Netflix's greatest hits for November.
And yet Arcane prevailed. Critics will have helped spread the word, but Netflix's subscriber base is one that racks up all those hours watched. Many will have talked about it among friends, family, and co-workers, which will have boosted your audience.
Finally, Netflix has a growing positive track record of animated adaptations of beloved video game franchises. The streaming giant has already seen success with its Castlevania TV show, while its take on the Dota strategy game with its Dota: Dragon's Blood has also been quite well received.
Other upcoming Netflix adaptations of video game series, including Tomb Raider, Sonic, The Cuphead Show, The Division, and Assassin's Creed, show that it's not slowing down in that department either. Add in Netflix's recent move into the gaming industry as well, and it's clear that video game movies and TV shows are becoming a growing priority for the studio.
Therefore, it is not surprising that, building on its unprecedented success, Arcane is renewed for a second season. There are many more stories and traditions to tell in your world, League of Legends characters and heroes to show, and much more.
While the same can be said for Cowboy Bebop (Tiger King has probably run its course at this point) it is not as well received as Arcane. And, for a streaming platform that quickly quits underperforming shows, Cowboy Bebop's future may be determined by whether or not it catches up with Arcane. However, at present that seems highly unlikely.