The problematic sequel to Netflix’s 2020 viral hit officially has followed its predecessor by landing a 0 percent Rotten Tomatoes critics score and a somehow even lower audience score. The original Polish erotic thriller following Sicilian mafia boss Massimo (Michele Morrone) and his kidnapped love interest Laura (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) earned a 29 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes; now, “This Day” has 19 percent, plus an even slimmer IMDb score (2.6/10). Based on Blanka Lipińska’s sensual novel of the same name, “365 Days” busted Netflix records before its sequel fell limp on the streamer. Massimo and Laura’s sex life as a now-married couple did land a thrust of excitement once Laura falls for own of Massimo’s mob enforcers. And while the controversial sex scenes tried to be as authentic as possible according to cinematographer Bartek Cierlica, the film was panned for its “boring” sex. Yes, boring.
IndieWire’s Executive Editor Kate Erbland called out “365 Days: This Day” in her review for shedding more than just its undergarments, but rather any rational, linear element of storytelling as well. Erbland wondered if filmmakers Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes did not care one bit about narrative continuity. “Massimo and Laura bang each other in a series of sterile settings,” Erbland penned. “In the film’s first 18 minutes, five songs roll out, offering more in the way of emotion and dialogue than the entire rest of the film.” And that lack of emotion bleeds into the tired “decidedly un-sexy” sex scenes which viewers presumably are flocking to witness. Netflix reported that “365 Days: This Day” was streamed for 77.98 million hours, landing the title in the number one trending place since premiering on April 27. That means the 1 hour, 50 min. film was viewed in its entirety roughly 38.99 million times. So whether that means the dwindling amount of Netflix subscribers are repeatedly binging the erotic follow-up, or just letting it aimlessly play in the background in lieu of “skin-emax” Cinemax cable, “365 Days: This Day” is a hit for today. “Most audiences who tune into ‘365 Days: This Day’ are likely not seeking out female empowerment tales or coherent plots,” Erbland noted in her D+ review (no pun intended). “But the disdain with which the film treats both its viewers and its star can’t help but grate. It feels bad, and it will only feel worse again — there’s still one more film planned for the series.” As of print, the only other Netflix original films to bear a 0 percent score according to ScreenRant are “Naked” (2017), “The Last Days of American Crime” (2020), “The Ridiculous 6” (2015), “The True Memoirs of an International Assassin” (2016), “Father of the Year” (2018), “The After Party” (2018), “Drive” (2018), and documentary “Enter the Anime” (2019).
Adam Sandler and Kevin James, collectively behind three of the eight above Netflix films, have both inked respective deals with the streamer. Longtime Netflix collaborator Sandler and production company Happy Madison extended its deal in 2020 for $250 million to produce four more movies. James is currently in development on a new single-camera comedy for him to star in and produce, as reported in 2021. Netflix head of comedy Tracey Pakotsa explained to Deadline that the platform is putting a large emphasis on sitcoms heading into this year and that James’ films and upcoming series will be a sure bet since his projects “do extremely well on Netflix.” And they’ll take any pivot they can get: The streaming titan reported a loss of 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022. Netflix expects another 2 million paid subscribers to exit the platform ahead of the end of Q2. With stocks plummeting, Netflix was slapped with a lawsuit on May 4 claiming shareholders were misled over the streamer’s business operations. With more “365 Days” on the way, Netflix may have a larger problem looking past “This Day.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
