biteho.com

When Netflix first started airing original series, the platform only had a handful to its name and there was actually a mild running joke about how the streaming giant didn’t cancel things. In fact, aside from Eli Roth’s Hemlock Grove, which still lasted three seasons, the site’s acclaimed shows House of Cards and Orange is the New Black both lasted six and seven seasons, respectively.

Things changed for the company a few years later when the heavily-hyped and massively-produced Marco Polo got an unceremonious axe after two seasons. Then the hammer fell on Bloodline, The Get Down, The OA, and many more – to the point now where, if you aren’t Stranger Things, which is Netflix’s biggest breakout hit of all time, you probably won’t go more than two or three seasons. Four, if you’re very lucky. Sure, the numbers are great for recent entries The Witcher and Umbrella Academy (which still hasn’t gotten a Season 3 renewal, by the way), but once those numbers start to decline or flatten, in the slightest, it could be curtains.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/11/how-does-netflix-choose-which-shows-to-cancel”]

In 2020, Netflix canceled Altered Carbon, I Am Not Ok With This, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, V Wars, Messiah, and many more while also announcing final seasons for Ozark, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (a huge initial hit), Dead to Me, and The Crown.

Obviously, there are a few logical reasons for why Netflix now seems to cut shows’ lives extremely short. One is that they have far more original series than any other studio so it stands to reason they’d have more cancellations. But Netflix – which barely promotes most of its shows as dozens land per month on the site with little to no heralding – also doesn’t seem to be at all invested in giving shows a chance to grow. A recent Wired article, however, digs a bit deeper into why the biggest streaming service in the game is now in the business of pulling the rug out from most of its shows after only a couple of seasons.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=every-tv-show-cancelled-or-announced-to-be-ending-in-2020&captions=true”]

Plainly put, the first reason a Netflix show gets canceled is a traditional one. It’s “based on a viewership versus cost of renewal review process, which determines whether the cost of producing another season of a show is proportionate to the number of viewers that the show receives.” This is like any other streaming service or network, really. But this is also where the audience, no matter how much we love a show, or recognize the fervor of the show’s fandom, have to take Netflix’s word for it because the company doesn’t release ratings numbers.

The second way Netflix decides if a show will continue is based on some viewership data points. Specifically, it “looks at two data points within the first seven days and first 28 days of a show being available on the service. The first is ‘Starters’, or households who watch just one episode of a series. The second data point is ‘Completers’, or subscribers who finish an entire season.”

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/02/new-to-netflix-for-october-2020″]

So the bulk of Netflix’s decision-making is based on data from the first month of the show season’s life. It’s crucial. The final metric is Watchers, which “is the total number of subscribers who watch a show.” Netflix, which employs a “cost-plus model, which means that it pays a show’s entire production costs, plus a 30 percent premium on top” is even more wary when it comes to possibly losing money – despite its reputation for throwing gobs of cash at the likes of Ryan Murphy ($300 million for five years), Adam Sandler (most recently $275 million for four more movies), and Chris Rock ($40 million for two specials).

But, as Tom Harrington, an analyst at Enders Analysis, states, shows on Netflix “are more expensive after season two and even more expensive after season three, with the premiums going up each season.”

“They have to give [a show] more money per series, and if they decide to recommission it, it becomes more expensive for them to make,” he says. “Because of that, so many more shows are cancelled after two series [seasons] because it costs them more.”

Now here’s one more thing to consider, and it’s totally tethered to the subscription streaming model. As Deadline explains, “if a show hasn’t grown significantly in popularity over seasons two or three, then Netflix thinks that it’s unlikely to gain any new viewers.” So when a show stops growing, in viewers and/or pulling in new subscribers — and that doesn’t necessarily mean dropping, it can just mean plateauing — then Netflix doesn’t see a reason to keep it. So a show could be acceptably popular, and hold a large fanbase, but if it’s lost its initial swell, and doesn’t bring in new eyes, it’ll be gone.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true”]

Note: This story has been updated to include a video version.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

With Wonder Woman 1984 now, still tentatively, scheduled to be released in December, star Gal Gadot has signed on to play the lead in Cleopatra, which will once again team her with the director of both Wonder Woman films, Patty Jenkins.

After some squabbling over the rights (reportedly between Apple, Universal, Warner Bros. and Netflix), the project landed at Paramount and, per Variety, will star Gadot as the legendary queen of Egypt. Gadot will follow in the steps of Oscar-winners Claudette Colbert and Elizabeth Taylor, who both once played big screen versions of the role.

Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Alita: Battle Angel) will write the screenplay.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=wonder-woman-1984-photos&captions=true”]

Meanwhile, all the delays to Wonder Woman 1984, which was supposed to release last June, have fans even more curious about the story, which features villains Maxwell Lord and Cheetah. If you’re looking for more info on Maxwell Lord, played by Pedro Pascal, head here. And likewise if you need a brush up on Cheetah, played by Kristen Wiig, you can check that out here.

Plus, check out our explainer on how Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor is back for this movie after dying in the first Wonder Woman film.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/22/wonder-woman-1984-cheetah-reveal-trailer-breakdown”]

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

It seems Walmart was not content to wait for the Prime Day event to try listing their own sales and instead has started putting up some great deals ahead of time. Beats Headphones, Samsung TVs and more are already listed and ready for purchase at their discounted price, with more products to come. Of course, we have more than just that today to offer, as Amazon has a sweeping sale on Nintendo Switch games and Dell continues to impress with their lineup of RTX 3000 equipped PCs.

Deals for October 11

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-october-11-2020″]

Video Game Deals

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=daily-deals-games-roundup”]

Early Amazon Prime Day Deals

For more details, check our What to Expect for Amazon Prime Day 2020 article.

[poilib element=”commerceDeal” parameters=”slug=amazon-prime-day-deals”]

The upcoming Monster Hunter movie has drawn some worried looks from fans for not appearing to have much in common with its source material, but in a new featurette, director Paul W.S. Anderson sat down with the games’ creators to show them how the film is striving for accuracy. This includes pulling a few monsters directly out of the games.

Game director Kaname Fujioka and producer Ryozo Tsujimoto were both involved in the process, and Anderson said the Diablos monster was one of the first they started dialing in. As you can see in the comparison shots, the design is very similar to the one in Monster Hunter World, with the same tusks on either side of the mouth and enormous teeth in the middle. The horns have been somewhat straightened out, but it’s a relatively minor difference.

The Rathalos was given a similar treatment, and it looks like it will serve as one of the biggest enemies Milla Jovovich’s character faces in the movie. Despite an early teaser focusing heavily on machine guns, the movie will feature traditional Monster Hunter weapons, too. Jovovich will be using dual blades to match what she uses when she plays the game, and Tony Jaa’s character uses an enormous sword and a bow.

The husband-and-wife team of Anderson and Jovovich have been collaborating for nearly two decades, having worked together on the live-action Resident Evil films, as well.

Monster Hunter is currently planned to release in theaters this December. The game franchise isn’t slowing down, either, with both Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2 coming to Nintendo Switch in 2021.

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

enter

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

enter

As a reward for fans who either registered to vote, or checked to make sure they were registered, actor Jeff Goldblum recreated the now-classic Dr. Ian Malcolm unbuttoned shirt pose from 1993’s Jurassic Park.

Of course, you know the pose we’re talking about. It’s Dr. Malcolm’s recuperating, reclining state after the film’s legendary T-Rex attack. And the resurgence of the image from a few years back, during arrival of the new Jurassic World films helped Goldblum’s pop culture stock rise considerably. There was even a 25-foot tall statue built in London that payed homage to the scene.

Here’s “the smolder” from 1993…

Here’s the new image, posted by Goldblum to his Instagram account where he thanked those who resisted to vote, writing “Nearly 3,000 of you are ready for this November’s election. Here’s your reward…how time flies.”

The third film in the franchise’s new trilogy, Jurassic World: Dominion, recently paused filming after multiple crew members tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have returned to resume their Jurassic World lead roles while original Jurassic Park cast members Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern are part of the film as well.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true”]
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.