“We’re streaming, mother fuckers!” Images courtesy Netflix.
Ever since Netflix began to produce and procure original content in 2012, it has struggled to legitimize itself in the eyes of mainstream trendsetters. This has been no real trouble for the company whatsoever – Twitter and other social media had made word-of-mouth much more important even then – but the refusal to validate Netflix’ material is a barrier when it comes to awards discussions, which Netflix has been trying to muscle into for the past couple of years.
It’s been easy – and incentivized – to look down on Netflix’ content, but if history is any indicator, some of its more recent releases are going to change that. It has to do with a critical theory that has shaped film history, forcing new platforms, techniques and ideas into legitimacy wherever it goes.
It was a whisper-quiet weekend at the box office, with the top 12 making only $79.8 million overall, the third worst number going back a full calendar year. A big reason why was a lack of exciting new releases – The Kid Who Would be King opened at no. 4 with $7.2 million, and Serenity opened at no. 8 with $4.4 million. Glass repeated at the top with $18.9 million, while The Upside was the only other show in eight figures at no. 2 with $11.9 million- 
The year’s first major release in Glass pieced together a $46.5 million opening over the long Martin Luther King Day weekend, short of Universal’s $50 million hopes. The Upside and Aquaman fell to into the second and third rung, while Funmation’s Dragon Ball Super: Broly scored a surprise no. 4 finish with $11.9 million. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in its sixth weekend in release, also cleared $10 million in the no. 5 slot- 
