Entertainment

Charlize Theron’s The Old Guard off to record-breaking start, Netflix says

It is one of the streaming giant’s top 10 most popular films ever.
It is one of the streaming giant’s top 10 most popular films ever. It is one of the streaming giant’s top 10 most popular films ever.

Charlize Theron’s action flick The Old Guard has achieved a record-breaking start since launching on Netflix, the streaming giant announced.

The movie, starring Oscar-winner Theron as an immortal mercenary, arrived on the platform on July 10 and is already among the top 10 most popular Netflix films ever.

It is on track to reach 72 million households in its first four weeks, Netflix said.

The company did not reveal how many households had watched the film, only saying it was “breaking records”.

The Old Guard filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood became the first black female director to make the top 10 most popular films list, the streamer added.

Prince-Bythewood said she was “gobsmacked” by the news.

Netflix counts a view when an account watches at least two minutes of a series or movie, which the streaming giant says is “long enough to indicate the choice was intentional”.

The Old Guard also stars KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts and Chiwetel Ejiofor.