SUMMARY

The controversial movie Miller’s Girl made it to the Netflix Top 10 despite a 29% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
The movie bombed at the box office, but surged in popularity on Netflix.
Ortega’s bold career choices, like in Miller’s Girl , may secure a strong legacy, despite its poor performance.

Jenna Ortega’s controversial erotic thriller Miller’s Girl has hit the US Netflix Top 10 charts despite its poor 29% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Ortega has risen to prominence in the last few years, with guest roles in TV shows like You, before achieving global stardom for her leading roles in the movies Scream & Scream 6, and the supernatural black-comedy Wednesday, which has been renewed for season 2 by Netflix. Starring Ortega and Emmy-winning actor Martin Freeman, Miller’s Girl focuses on the complicated and inappropriate relationship between a teacher and student, following a creative writing assignment.

The movie has been mired in controversy and bombed at the box office, grossing around $900,000 against a budget of $4 million. Despite the critical and theatrical reception of the movie, it has found an unexpected lease on life on Netflix, proving a hit with viewers in its debut week. It is the fifth most-watched movie on the U.S. Top 10 charts for the week April 29 to May 5, placing behind Anyone But You, The Judge, Unfrosted, and The Great Wall, and ahead of Blended, Shrek, Smurfs: the Lost Village, Mortal Kombat, and The Equalizer.

Miller’s Girl Cast List
Character

Jenna Ortega

Martin Freeman
Jonathan Albert Miller

Bashir Salahuddin
Boris Fillmore

Gideon Adlon
Winnie Black

Christine Adams
Joyce Miller

Could Miller’s Girl Have A Long Streaming Life?

Controversy Might Have Kept Audiences Away From Theaters But Streaming Provides A More Comfortable Viewing Experience

Many movies that flop theatrically wind up enjoying a new life on streaming platforms and can become successful and popular with viewers at home. How long Miller’s Girl might last on the Netflix chart is unclear, but there is a good chance that the controversial nature of the movie has stoked interest and curiosity, and this has drawn viewers to check the film out. It’s worth noting that a home viewing experience might also be preferable for viewers apprehensive about seeing Ortega and Freeman’s Miller’s Girl sex scene, and could make them more at ease with tackling this subject matter.

A theatrical viewing experience is very different to experiencing a movie at home, so there is a good chance this could explain Miller’s Girl‘s underwhelming box office. Though many have looked upon the movie unfavorably, it could grow to be viewed more favorably in the years to come, especially as the performances of its leads have been praised by director Jade Halley Bartlett. Nevertheless, there is a good chance Miller’s Girl could be the most controversial movie of Ortega’s career.

Ortega is no stranger to making bold career choices, appearing in Ti West’s controversial slasher movie X, which shows that she’s open to taking risks with her career, even at such an early stage in her career. Miller’s Girl could be just one of a number of controversial projects she’s involved in over the course of her career, and a long streaming run could also cement a strong Netflix legacy for the star, after Wednesday‘s record-breaking viewership. With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice due for release soon, Ortega could cancel out the poor performance of Miller’s Girl, and transform her box office fortunes sooner rather than later.