Zack Snyder’s wholly original science fantasy epic *Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire debuted atop the English Films List with 23.9M views, making it the most watched title of the week. In the lead-up to release, fans were treated to “moon takeovers” around the world, immersive trailer experiences directed by Snyder himself, and sneak peak fan screenings. The film also made the shortlist for the 96th Academy Awards in the visual effects category. Sam Esmail’s apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind, starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Myha’la, clocked 19.7M views to take second place. Films for the whole family dominated the remainder of the list. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget came in at #3 (14.9M views), The Super Mario Bros. Movie took #4 (7.9M views), Adam Sandler’s animated comedy Leo claimed #5 (7.2M views) and Family Switch snatched #6 (6.4M views).
The recently renewed coming-of-age drama My Life with the Walter Boys spent another week on top of the English TV List with 7.6M views and the sixth and final season of The Crown stayed strong at #2 with 5.7M views. Stand-up special Trevor Noah: Where Was I made its debut at #3 with 3.8M views. Reality competition series Squid Game: The Challenge spent its sixth week on the list, claiming tenth place (1.5M views).
Live-action manga adaptation Yu Yu Hakusho (Japan) led the Non-English TV List for the second week in a row with 6.2M views. In its fifth week on the list, the romantic comedy My Demon (Korea) claimed #2 (3.6M views). Love is Blind Brazil: After the Altar opened in tenth place with 1.7M views.
The thriller Blood Vessel (Nigeria) remained atop the Non-English Films List with 2.4M views and drama Familia (Mexico) climbed to #2 (2.4M views). Making their list debuts were the true-crime documentary Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case (India) in fourth place (1.7M views) and The Taming of the Shrewd 2 (Poland) in fifth (1.6M views). After returning to the list last week, dystopian survival thriller Nowhere claimed #7 (1M views), taking its total weeks on the list to 10 and cementing its place as the second Most Popular Film (Non-English).
*Talking of Rebel Moon:
Netflix recently unwrapped a double treat for lovers of the action genre: the live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho starring Takumi Kitamura and the epic sci-fi film Rebel Moon — Part 1: A Child of Fire, written, produced and directed by Zack Snyder.
Earlier this month, Snyder was in Tokyo to promote his latest film. During his trip, he met up with Kitamura in an iconic location Zojoji temple standing next to Tokyo Tower to discuss each other’s work. Rebel Moon — Part 1: A Child of Fire, the first of two installments, chronicles a revenge plot against a tyrannical empire, set in a visually stunning galaxy far away. Yu Yu Hakusho, a live-action manga adaptation of a spirit detective fighting demons, shot to the top of Netflix Weekly Global Top 10 Non-English TV List with 7.7M views, making it the biggest global debut of a Japanese series ever.
“Rebel Moon was truly amazing down to the smallest details. The planets, and the way the universe was depicted was truly beautiful right to the end,” Kitamura shared. Snyder also praised Kitamura’s performance, saying, “The role of a reluctant hero is difficult. I think you did an incredible job of being a bad boy with a heart.”
Diving into themes of justice, heart and action
Both Rebel Moon and Yu Yu Hakusho heavily lean on the theme of justice, and Kitamura drew parallels between the two titles—do heroes really exist? “Yusuke wasn’t trying to become a hero. But when he stuck to his own sense of justice, he became a hero to some and an enemy to others. I see that in Rebel Moon, too. A sense of justice exists for both heroes and villains, which is why a battle can happen.” he said.
The pair also unpacked what it was like to film the action sequences. For Kitamura, the only way he could get a good take was if his emotions were in sync with every punch or kick.
Snyder echoed this sentiment, emphasizing how important it is for actors to feel their characters’ emotions, not just rehearse the fight scenes. “It’s one thing to learn the choreography, but it’s another thing to learn the intent. Where are you emotionally in each moment? These are the things that are hard to hit,” he mused. “It’s a rare gift that obviously both you and Sofia Boutella (Rebel Moon) have.”
Watch the full conversation between Zack Synder and Takumi Kitamura below:
Rebel Moon — Part 1: A Child of Fire and Yu Yu Hakusho are now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Shay Hatten
Story: Zack Snyder
Producer: Deborah Snyder, p.g.a.; Eric Newman, p.g.a.; Zack Snyder, p.g.a.; Wesley Coller, p.g.a.
Cast: Sofia Boutella (Kora), Djimon Hounsou (Titus), Ed Skrein (Atticus Noble), Michiel Huisman (Gunnar), Doona Bae (Nemesis), Ray Fisher (Darian Bloodaxe), with Charlie Hunnam (Kai), and Anthony Hopkins (as the voice of “Jimmy”)
Yu Yu Hakusho
Based on the manga : Yoshihiro Togashi “Yu Yu Hakusho” (Shueisha Jump Comics)
Director: Sho Tsukikawa
Cast: Takumi Kitamura, Jun Shison, Kanata Hongo, Shuhei Uesugi, Sei Shiraishi, Kotone Furukawa, Ai Mikami, Hiroya Shimizu, Keita Machida, Meiko Kaji, Kenichi Takitoh, Goro Inagaki, Go Ayano
Screenplay: Tatsuro Mishima
VFX Supervisor: Ryo Sakaguchi (Scanline VFX)
Executive Producer: Kaata Sakamoto (Netflix)
Producer: Akira Morii
In Association with：THE SEVEN
Production: ROBOT
Produced by: Netflix