While Andrew Scott’s Ripley has captivated audiences with its gripping reimagining of a 1990s classic, the figures tell a much darker story.
The film The Talented Mr Ripley, starring Jude Law and Matt Damon, has been adapted into a gritty black-and-white miniseries directed by Fleabag’s Hot Priest.
Viewers have hailed the Netflix series as a’masterpiece,’ with an impressive 82% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Originally published as a novel in 1995, the story follows grafter Tom Ripley as he enters the life of Dickie Greenleaf, the vagabond son of a wealthy family.
Despite leaving viewers “speechless,” the Netflix version failed to make a dent in streaming figures during its crucial opening weekend.
In fact, Ripley has set a record for the worst debut for a limited series on a Thursday, which is typically a popular day for streaming.
According to What’s On Netflix, it debuted with only 2.3 million Complete Viewing Equivalents (CVE).
This metric compares the streamer’s viewing figures in hours to the duration of a show, indicating how many people watched it completely.
Ripley is a mini-series with eight one-hour episodes, which may have influenced figures, but black-and-white is notorious for failing to capture viewers’ attention.
In comparison to other shows released on Thursdays, such as One Day and Griselda, Ripley barely made a splash in the first four days after its April 4 release.
In comparison, One Day racked up 5.3 million CVEs in its first four days, while Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte racked up 22.9 million.
Despite the small audience size, fans have praised Ripley on X for everything from the stylistic choices to Andrew’s performance.
‘The Netflix series Ripley is a masterpiece, shot entirely in black and white. Andrew Scott is brilliant,’ shared Helen Thomas.
Joey praised: ‘Give Andrew Scott all of the awards. His performance as Tom Ripley in @netflix’s “Ripley” is nothing short of astounding. If you haven’t watched yet, change that immediately.’
‘Visually Ripley is one of the best series Netflix has ever done,’ shared Niall O’Loughlin. ‘The use of black and white was like a homage to the classic film noir of 40s/50s.
‘The whole series filmed in Italy, is like a living work of art, and is a masterclass in cinematography.’
Ripley is available to stream on Netflix.
