The sci-fi series 3 Body Problem started on Netflix on March 21, 2024 and the complex story of an approaching alien invasion based on the novel series by Cixin Liu is dividing the press and genre fans at the same time. While the series from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss recorded solid numbers after just under two weeks on the streaming service, a second season has not yet been confirmed. And this could even be in danger, because the series is coming soon several problems together.
The sci-fi series 3 Body Problem started well on Netflix – but not great
While 3 Body Problem had a moderate start on Netflix in the first week with around 11 million views, the series gained around 40 percent in the second week, according to What’s on Netflix. An additional 15.6 million people tuned in, bringing the format to a total after eleven days 26.7 million clicks brought. At the same time, 3 Body Problem climbed from number 2 in the series charts to a deserved number 1. But is that enough?
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If we look at comparable series on Netflix, we notice that 3 Body Problem is not quite as well received as the genre hits Avatar – The Lord of the Elements and One Piece. The live-action adaptation of The Straw Hat Gang was able to take place in the same period 37.8 million views while the adventures of Aang and Co. end after eleven days 41 million clicks came. There are massive differences here that become even more significant when we look at the next problem in the sci-fi series.
3 Body Problem is extremely expensive for Netflix
Not only does 3 Body Problem cost Netflix quite a fortune, it’s actually the most expensive series the streaming service has ever produced. Each episode is said to have cost around $20 million, which puts the entire eight-episode first season at least $160 million and represents about as much budget as Denis Villeneuve put into his sci-fi blockbuster Dune in 2021.
On a financial level, the Alien spectacle also leaves other Netflix series behind, which have proven to have a larger audience for the streaming service. The first season of One Piece cost around 144 million, a good 16 million less than 3 Body Problem, but was able to persuade far more Netflix subscribers to stream.
With a budget of 120 million for season 1, Avatar is well below that of the sci-fi adaptation. Here too came comparatively more views on Netflix together.
Video about the future of the Netflix series Avatar:
Avatar – The Lord of the Elements: The Future of the Series (German) HD
With a view to the three-part novel series by Cixin Liu, series creators David Benioff and DB Weiss have already announced in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that they would like to continue the story 4 seasons would tell. In the second season, fans can expect one Timeskip, which shifts the events clearly into the future. This in turn allows for a much more extensive use of visual effects suspect, as was the case with season 1, which could increase the budget of the next season by quite a bit. However, the project may have already failed due to another problem.
The Netflix deal with David Benioff and DB Weiss could soon expire
In 2019, Netflix secured a deal with David Benioff and DB Weiss, who previously released the final season of Game of Thrones into the world and were hot on the market. Proud $200 million The streaming service turned to the two creative minds to develop several formats together, not only taking them away from HBO, but also from a possible Star Wars film. The deal was initially for five years closed and should actually end this year.
Of course, Netflix could offer the two series creators an extension, which could also result in further seasons of 3 Body Problem. However, looking at the formats that Benioff and Weiss have actually implemented for Netflix in recent years, this prospect is not set in stone. For example, her series The Professor, starring Grey’s Anatomy star Sandra Oh, was canceled after just one season. Otherwise, they were behind smaller projects, such as the stand-up special Leslie Jones: Time Machine or the teen comedy Metal Lords. None of them were big hits with the public.
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The two authors’ next big Netflix project will be the true crime series in February 2024 Death by Lightning announced, which will star Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen. While we shouldn’t expect the series to start on the streamer before 2025, it is questionable how narrow Benioff and Weiss’ Netflix deal is and to what extent projects started under it will be continued if it expires.
If the first season of 3 Body Problem ultimately turns out to be a financial loss for Netflix as audience numbers fall short of expectations, the extension of the deal with the authors may be in jeopardy and with it the second season of their sci-fi series .
Podcast for Netflix’s epic sci-fi series 3 Body Problem
Have the Game of Thrones makers achieved their next big success with 3 Body Problem? In the podcast we discussed Netflix’s sci-fi series extensively and without spoilers:
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3 Body Problem is the adaptation of one of the most exciting science fiction works of recent years: The Trisolaris trilogy by Chinese author Cixin Liu. In the podcast we clarify whether the series can delight sci-fi fans and whether the drastic changes to the original were really necessary.