The Netflix Top 3 is made up exclusively of movies that failed to connect with critics or audiences now this Jim Carrey release has entered the chart.
Dumb and Dumber To has made a surprising leap into the Netflix Top 3. The 10-year-old movie starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels was a belated sequel to the 1994 Farrelly brothers comedy Dumb and Dumber, but the two-decade hiatus did not make fans crave the over-the-top antics of Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Daniels) a second time around. However, like so many older movies, the film is finding a new lease of life on the streaming platform.
Dumb and Dumber To begins with Lloyd having spent 20 years in a psychiatric hospital following his romantic rejection by his would-be girlfriend Mary. However, it’s revealed that Lloyd’s catatonic state was a prank. Reunited with Harry, the two embark on a road trip to find Harry’s long-lost daughter, Penny, whom he discovers after needing a kidney transplant. This journey is filled with the same brand of slapstick humor and absurdity that made the original film a cult classic.
The film was not the first addition to the Dumb and Dumber franchise, with prequel movie Dumb and Dumberer taking that honor. However the 2003 movie featured Eric Christian Olsen and Derek Richardson in the roles of Lloyd and Harry, respectively, and was critically panned to the tune of a 10% Tomatometer score and 23% audience approval score. Dumb and Dumber To did not fare that much better, landing a 30% and 35% score from critics and audience respectively, which was a far cry from the 68%/84% of the original movie.
Despite the mostly negative reaction to Dumb and Dumber To, critics could not help but praise the comedic reteaming of Carrey and Daniels after 20 years, which prevented the movie being a complete disaster. As for its box office performance, the film was moderately successful. On the back of a budget of $50 million, it grossed $169.8 million worldwide, which was four times that of the ill-fated prequel.
Dumb and Dumber To’s Netflix Performance is Driven by Nostalgia, and Jim Carrey’s Popularity
The resurgence of Dumb and Dumber To on Netflix is something that can be explained easily when looking at similar releases to hit the platform in the last several years. Many movies that were heavily criticized on their initial release have found themselves hitting the top of the Netflix chart as new audiences get to discover films that they didn’t see the first time around, all within their existing subscription cost.
However, as well as the current trend for old films being reassessed and rediscovered thanks to the ever-changing roster of movies being passed around from one streamer to another, the film also has the star power of the much-loved Jim Carrey as a booster. The actor is currently back on everyone’s radar thanks to the confirmation that he will be reprising his role as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Dumb and Dumber To‘s unexpected rise up the Netflix chart, landing behind the equally criticized Madame Web and Mother of the Bride, is another reminder that working out which movies will be a success on streaming platforms is just as difficult to predict as the box office results of theatrical releases.
Dumb and Dumber To begins with Lloyd having spent 20 years in a psychiatric hospital following his romantic rejection by his would-be girlfriend Mary. However, it’s revealed that Lloyd’s catatonic state was a prank. Reunited with Harry, the two embark on a road trip to find Harry’s long-lost daughter, Penny, whom he discovers after needing a kidney transplant. This journey is filled with the same brand of slapstick humor and absurdity that made the original film a cult classic.
