Three weeks after its release, Netflix‘s big budget fantasy adventure movie continues to rule the roost on streaming. Debuting on May 1, the new family-friendly flick came second in its first week out, but quickly moved into the top spot following a record-breaking performance during its second week.
Refusing to budge, Swapped came in at #1 again for the week of May 11–17, after setting the record for the largest number of views a Netflix animated film has ever received in a seven-day period last week (38.7 million). It accumulated an additional 24.4 million views for the most recent reporting period, bringing its overall total to 80.6 million.
Featuring the voice talents of Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, and Justina Machado, Swapped managed to maintain its top position by fending off Remarkably Bright Creatures in second place with 20.3 million views, while the new documentary film, The Crash, came in third with 11.7 million. The action thriller, Apex, took fourth place with 10.6 million, and rounding out the Top 5 was Goat, making its first appearance on the list with 9.2 million views.
‘Swapped’ Looked Very Different Six Years Ago
Produced for upwards of $150 million, Swapped tells the tale of Ollie (Jordan), a small woodland creature, and Ivy (Temple), a majestic bird, who are natural enemies living in The Valley. After a magical accident causes them to swap bodies, the pair are forced to work together to survive the wilderness, understand each other’s worlds, and stop a growing threat to their ecosystem.
That being said, Swapped looked very different from where it started six years ago. Directed by Nathan Greno, the initial plan was to have the movie be about four teenagers with superpowers. However, as things progressed, Swapped morphed into something completely different, while at the same time keeping its core theme of empathy.
“The idea was looking at today’s climate, especially six years ago, looking at where things were at. It’s always meant to be entertainment. You want to put something on that’s a fun rollercoaster to watch,” the director told The Wrap, adding:
“But at the same time, you want to put a message out there that could do something good, add something positive to the world and here we are. You know, six years later, we still need this movie.”
A New Challenger Emerges This Week
While Swapped is clearly enjoying tremendous success on Netflix, a new challenger to its crown will emerge later this week. Releasing on Friday, May 22, Ladies First is an original comedy that’s set to take the streamer by storm.
Starring the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, Ladies First focuses on a male chauvinist who finds himself in an alternate world where the social power dynamics between men and women are reversed. Directed by Thea Sharrock, the film was loosely inspired by the 2018 French movie, I Am Not an Easy Man.
However, don’t look for Swapped to give up its position so easily. Ladies First is certainly a worthy challenger, but we expect the animated adventure to maintain its number one spot next week as it continues its global dominance.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
