Midnight Sky one of Netflix's most watched films

[size=34]George Clooney-directed film The Midnight Sky set to become one of Netflix's most-watched films[/size]

By SAM JOSEPH SEMON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 18:51 EST, 31 December 2020 | UPDATED: 18:57 EST, 31 December 2020

   

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George Clooney is shaping up to end 2020 with a hit.
On Thursday, Deadline reported that his film The Midnight Sky, which the Oscar-winner directed and starred in, is slated to become one of Netflix's most-watched overall films.
The streaming service announced that the picture had been viewed by a projected 72 million households during its first four weeks of release.
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Finishing strong: George Clooney's film The Midnight Sky is slated to become one of Netflix's overall most-watched titles
The film was also Netflix's biggest theatrical release of the year, as it played on hundreds of screens in 16 different countries worldwide.
In terms of streaming, the media company confirmed that The Midnight Sky attained the top spot for content in 77 countries and has reached the top ten list in 93 countries overall.


The science fiction picture was based off of the 2016 novel of the same name, written by novelist Lily Brooks-Dalton.
The plot follows a research scientist who takes a young girl on a trip through the Arctic Circle in order to warn a potentially returning spaceship not to return to Earth, which has undergone a cataclysmic event. 
[size=18]George Clooney stars in Netflix's sci-fi tale The Midnight Sky



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Dual roles: Clooney served as both the leading actor and director of the film; he is seen on set with David Oyelowo and Tiffany Boone in 2019
In addition to Clooney, the picture also stars Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo and Demian Bichir in supporting roles.
Development on the project was announced in June of 2019 and filming began in October of that year, with production wrapping the following February. 
Due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, The Midnight Sky was given a limited theatrical release beginning on December 11th.
The movie's wide release on Netflix occurred a few weeks afterwards on December 23rd. 
In an interview with Variety, Clooney spoke about the difficulties of directing a motion picture in a particularly harsh environment; the film was shot in England and Iceland, often in below-zero temperatures. 
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Big and small screens: The Midnight Sky was given separate theatrical and home releases
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Heavy duty work: Clooney spoke to Variety about filming in harsh environments, stating that 'you have to be really, really prepared'; he is pictured in 2018
[size=18]George Clooney ended up in hospital after 25llb weight loss




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'First and foremost, you have to be really, really prepared... We get in a scene, and all of a sudden, it’s too sunny or too nice. Or then we get there, and it wasn’t nice enough. I’ve been doing it long enough now that it’s not as complicated as it feels,' he stated.
The 59-year-old also noted that he wanted the film to feel timely and to cover a wide range of subjects under the guise of a sci-fi story.
He said: 'I wanted it to deal with things we’re all dealing with today: the denying of science, playing out anger, hatred, and divisions in between the people of the United States, but also divisions that play out in other countries.' 
Clooney also spoke about how his status as a parents influenced both the writing of the screenplay and his performance in multiple different scenes.
'There’s a part of this film that is about isolation and our ability to communicate, and our inability to be near the people we love. And that is a very specific example of taking away and losing something you care deeply about,' the actor opined. 
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Timely themes: The actor and director stated that the film was partially about 'isolation and our ability to communicate'

George Clooney's The Midnight Sky On Course To Be One Of Netflix's Most Watched Films Ever
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[size=10]CLAIRE REID in ENTERTAINMENT
Last updated 5:29 PM, Friday January 01 2021 GMT
It looks like George Clooney will be having a good start to 2021, as his new flick The Midnight Sky is set to become one of the most watched movies on Netflix.

The post-apocalyptic science-fiction movie, based on a book Lily Brooks-Dalton, was directed by Clooney, who also stars in it as scientist Augustine.
According to Deadline, The Midnight Sky, which landed on the streaming service on 23 December, is on course to be watched by a projected 72 million households world-wide within its first four weeks of release.

Netflix has confirmed the movie had the number spot in 77 countries and was in the top 10 in 93 countries.



It was also Netflix's biggest theatrical release of 2020 and was shown in 800 locations in 16 countries.

For those of you who are yet to see it, an official synopsis from Netflix reads: "This post-apocalyptic tale follows Augustine (George Clooney), a lonely scientist in the Arctic, as he races to stop Sully (Felicity Jones) and her fellow astronauts from returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe."
As well as Clooney and Jones, the movie also stars David Oyelowo, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir and Tiffany Boone.

Talking about the movie, Clooney said: "There's a longing in this story.

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"It's a real need to connect, deeply connect. And there's also this conversation about what mankind is capable of doing to mankind that creeps up on you."

He added: "Even when times didn't seem as apocalyptic as they do right now, we've always liked those kind of stories.
"In recent years, things have gotten scarier and, I think, a little more polarised, but that's cyclical. We still always like a good apocalyptic story."
Speaking in an interview with Variety, Clooney opened up about wanting to create a movie that dealt with current issues, while still being sci-fi.


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He said: "I wanted it to deal with things we're all dealing with today: the denying of science, playing out anger, hatred, and divisions in between the people of the United States, but also divisions that play out in other countries like the Philippines or Hungary.
"And if you play those out, 30 years from now, it's not inconceivable that the whole world could look like that."
The Midnight Sky is streaming on Netflix right now.[/size]

I enjoyed this film.  Well done.

Lorna Doone!!!!  You are a sight for sore eyes

Welcome back!!!!!!!!!! It's been too long since you were here. I hope you're planning to stick around. You've been missed.

Changing topics: Can anyone tell me why one of Netflix's most popular films only got nominated for effects and nothing else? The critics liked it as much as audiences, so what happened?

Hi Lorne Doone!  Good to hear from you!  Hope all is well with you in your neck of the woods.

PigPen wrote:Lorna Doone!!!!  You are a sight for sore eyes  

Hello!  So nice to see you're still here!

LizzyNY wrote: Welcome back!!!!!!!!!! It's been too long since you were here. I hope you're planning to stick around. You've been missed.

Changing topics: Can anyone tell me why one of Netflix's most popular films only got nominated for effects and nothing else? The critics liked it as much as audiences, so what happened?

Thank you.  Not sure how long I can stay.  In a bit of a lull with my business but I suspect once covid is properly addressed, we will be back out swinging.  But thank you for the kind words.  Hope all is well with you.

Donnamarie wrote:Hi Lorne Doone!  Good to hear from you!  Hope all is well with you in your neck of the woods.

As well as can be expected.  Just hanging out waiting for covid to go away, far, far away.

LizzyNY wrote:Changing topics: Can anyone tell me why one of Netflix's most popular films only got nominated for effects and nothing else? The critics liked it as much as audiences, so what happened?

It had what could best be described as mixed reviews. Some critics liked it, but a lot really didn't.

I guess I was looking in all the wrong places. The reviews I saw were all good. I know I liked it.