Netflix sensation Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness has been a welcome distraction for millions of people stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic. But had it been a theatrical release, it would have made more than $300 million in its first 10 days, making it one of the top films of all time.
Nielsen estimates the series has been watched by 34.3 million unique viewers in its first 10 days of release. The estimated average price for a North American movie ticket is $9.01. Combined, that comes to a 10-day total of $309 million.
The show has seen its popularity grow steadily since its release, as word of mouth has spread and Joe Exotic memes have flooded the Internet. Nielsen says, between March 20 and 29, Tiger King reached an average audience of 19 million people per minute. It attracted more viewers than the second season of Stranger Things and was just 2 million shy of the 10-day audience for Stranger Things, season three.
It’s not the first Netflix production that would have been a box office hit. Last year’s Murder Mystery with Adam Sandler would have enjoyed an opening weekend of $120 million if it had opened in theaters.
Of course, the Tiger King audience likely wouldn’t sit through a seven-hour series in a theater, making direct comparisons moot. And there’s no way to tell how many people would have left their homes if they were able to see a film about such an unusual topic. Netflix also promotes its own programming much more aggressively than the offerings of other studios, which can skew the numbers.
Still, only 11 films have managed to cross the $300 million mark in fewer than 10 days at the box office. Avengers: Endgame was the fastest, hitting $357 million in three days. If Tiger King were a box office film with those numbers, it would have outpaced Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Captain America: Civil War, and Frozen II.
Tiger King is a seven-episode series that tells the story of big-cat breeders and private zoos across America, along with criminal allegations that range from arson to murder. It has made celebrities of the people it features, including Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, though none emerges from the series in a flattering light.
Netflix, to date, has not issued official viewing numbers for Tiger King.
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