The Russo Brothers’ Critically Panned Sci-Fi Wasn’t the Flop Everyone Believed

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Despite receiving negative reviews, the sci-fi film The Electric State, featuring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, has become surprisingly popular. It’s actually one of ‘s most-watched programs in 2025.

As a movie critic, I’ve been digging into the numbers, and the data from FlixPatrol on The Electric State is pretty compelling. It landed at number nine on Netflix’s most-watched list for 2025 – and that’s just for January through June! We’re still waiting on the second half of the year’s figures, but even with only six months of data, the film racked up an incredible 158.2 million hours viewed and 74.2 million views. What really struck me is that it didn’t even hit Netflix until mid-March. So, those numbers are even more impressive when you consider it wasn’t collecting views for the first two and a half months of the year!

Critics and viewers had mixed reactions to The Electric State, a story set in a 1990s-inspired, retro-futuristic world. The film follows Michelle, a teenage orphan, in a society where intelligent robots were banished after a rebellion. Her life changes when a robot arrives, seemingly controlled by her long-lost younger brother, prompting her to embark on a quest to discover what happened to him.

During her journey, she teams up with Keats, a down-on-his-luck smuggler, and together they encounter a variety of interesting robots—both helpful and hostile. The film also features a strong supporting cast including Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, and Stanley Tucci.

Netflix is likely pleased with new data showing that The Electric State was one of their most-watched movies in 2025. Given the film’s massive $320 million budget – making it one of the costliest movies ever made – the strong viewership is good news for the streaming service.

Despite a large budget, the movie The Electric State received harsh criticism and quickly became one of the most debated films of the year when it came out last March. Almost a year later, opinions haven’t changed much, with many critics finding the film unoriginal and criticizing the performances of both Chris Pratt and Michelle Brown.

Viewers enjoyed the film, and that’s a major reason why The Electric State became one of Netflix’s most popular titles in early 2025. It received a 67% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 5,000 reviews, with many viewers praising aspects that critics didn’t like.

One viewer wondered why critics disliked the film so strongly, while another commented that Chris Pratt’s performance was humorous and made the movie worth watching.

The Russo Brothers Will Return for Avengers: Doomsday

While their recent film, The Electric State, didn’t quite hit the mark, the Russo Brothers are already working on a sure-fire hit: Avengers: Doomsday. This sequel to the hugely successful (over $2.8 billion worldwide) Avengers movie is slated for release in 2026.

The movie Doomsday will be released in theaters on December 18th as part of the sixth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film picks up after previous events and features a team-up of Earth’s mightiest heroes – including the Avengers, Wakandans, Fantastic Four, and X-Men – who must unite across different universes to defeat the formidable Doctor Doom.

The Electric State is now streaming on Netflix.

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2026-01-18 04:44