Summary
- Dolittle is a hit on Netflix despite being a box office flop.
- The family-friendly adventure has an impressive cast and characters.
- Dolittle's Netflix success shows that audience preferences can differ between theaters and streaming platforms.
Robert Downey Jr. Is one of the biggest names in Hollywood right now, and while his success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has helped to grow his stature, he has proven himself outside of being Iron Man, too. Whether it’s his work in Sherlock Holmes or Oppenheimer, Downey Jr. Is a proven name at the box office, which is why many streaming services, such as Netflix, are often looking to get movies featuring him as part of their library of content.
That also includes some of Downey Jr.’s least successful movies, as well, because he has also suffered from having some flops. One of those just so happens to be thriving on Netflix right now, having a second lease of life that few people would’ve expected.
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Dolittle Has Become A Hit On Netflix
The Family-Friendly Adventure Has Proven To Be Popular With Audiences
The release of Dolittle was one that generated a lot of excitement, as the story is well-known, and the cast assembled was impressive. Downey Jr. Was cast in the lead role as Doctor Dolittle himself, and given that the movie was released in 2020, during the height of his work as Iron Man, most people presumed it would receive a strong response, but that wasn’t the case. However, while it might have struggled during its theatrical release, the movie appears to have finally found its audience five years later. Despite Netflix having a plethora of current content, major blockbuster movies, and television shows, Dolittle has ended up being the fifth most-watched title worldwide on the streaming platform right now.
It's a huge sign of success for the family adventure movie, which features lots of larger-than-life characters and personalities that are brought together by Downey Jr.’s character. It appears that audiences are enjoying seeing the physician learn that he can talk to animals, and the impressive cast that voices those characters will undoubtedly be another draw for people. Dolittle is loaded with Hollywood stars, including Emma Thompson, John Cena, Tom Holland, and Selena Gomez. This film features a lineup of recognizable names and voices that are sure to capture people’s attention.
Dolittle Was A Box Office Flop Upon Its Release
The Robert Downey Jr. Movie Was Also Destroyed By critics
Dolittle might be enjoying a lot of success right now on Netflix, but that wasn’t always the case. This movie ended up being a significant flop upon its release, and it wasn’t met with positive reviews from critics. Dolittle has a low 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a dismal score, and the IMDb rating of 5.6/10 doesn’t make it any better. However, the critical backlash to this Downey Jr.-led project hasn’t put people off from enjoying it on Netflix, with the movie thriving right now as it has the potential to become a cult classic. Film fans may end up talking about this movie in a more positive light moving forward if they end up having a good experience when watching it at home, and that has been the case with many movies over the years.
However, it wasn’t just the critics who disliked Dolittle during its initial 2020 release, as the audience opted not to vote with their wallets. The film grossed $251.4 million at the worldwide box office against a production budget of $175 million. There were reported losses of between $50 million and $10 million, which weren’t helped by the fact that extensive reshoots and some extra visual effects work were done to try to polish the movie. Although it was impacted by the pandemic, history will likely look back upon Dolittle as a flop due to its initial release.
Dolittle’s Netflix Success Has Proven That The Movie Does Have An Audience
Families Are Willing To Give It A Chance Via Streaming
The success of Dolittle on Netflix proves that sometimes ratings and box office numbers aren’t everything when determining what people want to enjoy. Audiences are typically more open to trying out movies in the comfort of their own home, as they can easily be turned off or ignored if they don’t capture people’s attention. However, Dolittle must be doing something right to be climbing up the Netflix charts in the manner that it has been, which is a sign that people are genuinely enjoying the movie. It proves that there is an audience that exists for Dolittle, it just might not have been at the time when studio heads or the actors themselves wanted it to be. Fortunately for them, this Netflix run might just salvage Dolittle’s reputation, because any movie that ends up becoming a cult classic has a long-lasting lifespan, as people will always come back to it and pass it on to other generations. There have been many movies that struggled at the box office, but wound up being cult classics due to their post-theatrical run, and it seems that Netflix is opening up that possibility for Dolittle.
Dolittle
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- January 1, 2020
- Runtime
- 101 Minutes
Cast
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Robert Downey Jr. -
Octavia Spencer -
John Cena -
Selena Gomez
