No Hard Feelings, Jennifer Lawrence’s raunchy comedy movie, has just become a big hit on Netflix. Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, the movie hit theaters this past summer, starring Lawrence as Maddie, a woman who takes a job helping two helicopter parents break their 19-year-old son out of his shell before college.
Now, according to the Netflix global top 10 list, No Hard Feelings ranks as the number seven most popular movie on the streaming service for the week of October 16 – 22. The R-rated comedy beats out Tammy, Spy Kids, and Scary Movie, but falls just behind Fair Play, Long Shot, Reptile, Gemini Man, The Devil on Trial, and, in the number one spot, Old Dads.
How Was No Hard Feelings Received?
Lawrence’s latest movie had a wide release in June, earning mostly positive reviews from critics. The No Hard Feelings reviews cited Lawrence’s performance as Maddie as a particular highlight, with the actor bringing her unique comedic sensibility to the role. While most critics agree that the movie isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, there was clearly fun to be had, and Lawrence got to show off a side of herself that she hadn’t really gotten to in movies before.
The comedy flick was something of a gamble theatrically, with R-rated comedies now almost always relegated to streaming-only releases. This gamble didn’t entirely pay off, with No Hard Feelings‘ box office topping out at $87.1 million. Considering the movie had a relatively high budget of $45 million – $25 million of which went toward Lawrence’s salary – the movie very likely did not break even.
The movie’s budget is certainly part of why it underperformed, but audiences are also now trained to expect movies of this kind to head straight to streaming. No Hard Feelings‘ streaming success only further solidifies this, with audiences clearly finding the movie a more appealing proposition from the comfort of their own homes. While No Hard Feelings‘ Netflix popularity is a good development for the movie, the box office performance is another nail in the coffin for R-rated comedies in the theatrical landscape.
