One of the most infuriating things about Netflix is that the streaming service will cancel effects-heavy fantasy shows on a regular basis to ignite the fury of their respective fandoms, but continue to funnel mountains of cash into projects that don’t need to cost anywhere near as much as they do, with Noah Baumbach’s White Noise the latest example.
An adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel of the same name, the story finds a college professor and his family’s idyllic suburban life into chaos when a chemical leak causes what’s dubbed “The Airborne Toxic Event,” forcing the clan to evacuate their home and embark on an increasingly absurd journey into the world of conflict, love, death, and shady survivalists.
It doesn’t sound like an expensive movie to make, but for some reason, White Noise‘s production budget has been listed at an eye-watering $80 million, although some reports claimed it could be as high as $120 million. Was it worth it in the end? Well, star Adam Driver did land a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy category, but the answer is almost surely a resounding no.
A 62 percent Rotten Tomatoes score is barely above the Fresh threshold, but a 43 percent user rating shows that subscribers haven’t been won over by the film’s particular charms. More telling is that White Noise has debuted solidly rather than spectacularly on the platform’s global charts, so it may not even have legs to hang around the upper echelons for very long.
Per FlixPatrol, Baumbach’s first feature that isn’t based on an original story he came up with has entered the Top 10 in 45 countries, but failed to reach number one in any of them. Another $80 million down the drain, then, so you best get worried about your favorite fantasy series right about now.