Summary
The Emoji Moviehas become a Netflix hit in the United States. The 2017 animated feature stars T.J. Miller as a Meh emoji whose ability to show multiple expressions makes him an outcast in a strictly regimented emoji society that exists inside the smartphone of teenage boy Alex. The movie was critically reviled, earning a 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes and going on to win theWorst Picture Razzie Awardalong with three others including Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.
Netflixhas now calculated their official Top 10 chart of the most-watched movies in the United States for the week of August 5 through August 11.The Emoji Moviehas landed at No. 10 on the chartin the wake of its arrival on the platform. It is one of several movies designed for family audiences that are on the chart, a roster that also includesDr. Seuss' The Loraxat No. 9,Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hatat No. 5,Trolls Band Togetherat No. 3, andSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movieat No. 2.
Why Are So Many People Watching The Emoji Movie?
Netflix Is A Powerful Influence
It may come as a surprise that so many people are watchingThe EmojiMovieon Netflix seven years later in spite of its dismal reception. However, there are several factors that are likely behind the movie’s performance. One is the fact thatthe movie was designed to capitalize on the emoji fad, which has not faded away in the intervening yearslike the fads behind similar animated titles including 2019’sUglyDollsor 2016’sThe Angry Birds Movie, though theupcomingAngry Birds Movie3may reveal that producers believe there is interest in that property as well.
There is also the matter thatThe Emoji Movienever performed quite as poorly with audiences as it did with critics. While viewers were still hard on the movie, its Rotten Tomatoes audience score is 36%, which makes it six times higher than its Tomatometer score despite still being firmly Rotten.The movie was also a commercial success in 2017, earning $217.8 million against its $50 million budget and outgrossing other prominent movies from that year such asA Dog’s Purpose,John Wick: Chapter 2,Pitch Perfect 3, and theBest Picture winnerA Shape of Water.
The box office totals of the sequelsJohn Wick: Chapter 3 – ParabellumandJohn Wick: Chapter 4both exceededChapter 2considerably and outgrossedThe Emoji Movie.
Additionally, it remains to be seen ifThe Emoji Movieremains on the chart for longer than one week. It may have simply charted because it is a new title in the Netflix library in the United States, and new titles typically get a boost as viewers with long-term subscriptions sit down to watch the streaming service’s latest offerings. If it drops off the chart later, this could reflect that there is no lasting interest in the movie beyond its novelty.
The Emoji Movie
Cast
When their world is threatened to be deleted, Gene (TJ Miller) ventures off with Hi-5 (James Corden) and Jailbreak (Anna Faris) to save Textopolis and become an emoji with a single expression. Despite being critically panned, The Emoji Movie had a stacked supporting cast, including Maya Rudolph, Jennifer Coolidge, Patrick Stewart, Christina Aguilera, and Sofía Vergara, among others.
