Netflix has been looking for franchises, and The Witcher Can be its answer

Netflix wants people to know the Witcher is just as big, if not bigger, than Disney’s Mandalorian around the world. The franchise plays like the Witcher and movies like 6 underground are key to Netflix growing internationally. They could represent a big part of Netflix’s future in a year where competition from major players will start to heat up.

Netflix said that 76 million accounts watched the Witcher within its first four weeks. The Witcher will likely have the biggest first season of a Netflix original series ever.

Netflix’s leaders have pushed back against concerns that its series and movies ca n’t compete with Disney or Warner Bros.’s big franchises. But the franchise is still getting started.

Netflix has had hits like stranger things and black mirror. But as international growth continues, franchises with global appeal will increase in importance.

There are reasons to be skeptical of Netflix’s numbers. It only measures viewership of the first two minutes of a show or movie. Netflix has yet to announce a sequel to 6 underground.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings referred to the Witcher as a series that could go’season after season’. Just today, the streaming service announced an animated spinoff film.

Netflix was n’t well-received by critics when it was released in 2017. That represented approximately 20 percent of Netflix’s domestic subscriber base at the time.

At & T and Comcast will use HBO Max and peacock to try out shows and movies that people might take a chance on through a streaming service. The thinking suggests that people are more likely to give something a chance if it’s on Netflix because it’s already part of their monthly subscription subscription.

Netflix’s growth in the US has slowed, so it’s increasingly focused on attracting subscribers around the globe. About 8.4 million of the 8.8 million subscribers Netflix added last quarter were from outside the US.

There’s a global appeal that could help the show become the game of thrones-like fantasy series the streamer needs. 6 underground could blossom into Netflix’s own version of the fast and the furious.