2019’s “The Platform” was a dystopian horror movie that blended “Cube” with “Don Quixote.” Described in /Film’s review as “a dirty blast,” this grim, on-the-nose allegory for social stratification was a hit for Netflix, especially after the pandemic hit and everyone turned to streaming to pass the time. When Netflixers weren’t watching Chris Hemsworth punch people in “Extraction,” they were watching director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s disturbing vision of a vertically-stacked prison where inmates are fed from a single platform that moves downward through the levels. As you can imagine, when the platform hits the lower cells, there isn’t much left for the bottom-dwellers, leading the inmates to turn to cannibalism and all-out savagery in the face of their bleak existence.
If that sounds like a grand old time, you might be glad to know that a sequel, or rather, prequel has arrived. “The Platform 2” actually offers a more interesting take on this bizarre premise, though as /Film’s Witney Seibold writes, the film is “better at personalizing its bizarre setting than the first, but it doesn’t climax in any interesting way.” Still, that doesn’t seem to have stopped the movie from being an all-out hit for Netflix, with viewers around the world tuning into the Spanish horror.
Yes, it seems Netflixers are eager to descend through the various levels of hell once again, as the streamer offers up yet another hearty feast for its subscribers to pick dry in the form of “The Platform 2.”
Netflixers are devouring The Platform 2
“The Platform 2” hit Netflix on October 4, and despite the streamer doing little to promote the prequel, it’s absolutely savaging the most-watched film charts. According to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks viewership stats across the various streaming services, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s latest dystopian vision has resonated with viewers around the world. As of October 7, 2024, the movie is charting in 93 countries around the world, and is number one in 63 of them — including the United States, United Kingdom, and its native Spain.
That’s nothing short of a coup for Gaztelu-Urrutia, considering the lack of fanfare surrounding his movie. What’s more, in the 63 countries in which “The Platform 2” has hit number one, the film has been in the top spot in 55 of them since it hit the service. That means viewers immediately descended upon the movie like starved, deranged prisoners.
Considering the film is number two in a further 16 countries, it seems Gaztelu-Urrutia has yet more success to come, with “The Platform 2” surely set to take number one in several of those markets. All of which adds up to a seriously impressive debut for the film, and while we knew “The Platform 2” was going to be one of the best films hitting Netflix in October, this is a truly stellar showing.
