Downsizing’s Streaming Success Overshadows A Better Alexander Payne Movie Out Now

Alexander Payne’s Downsizing may have been released six years ago, but the project is currently seeing a surge in popularity thanks to its presence on Netflix – but this seems to be coming at the expense of the director’s latest film. A movie starring Matt Damon, Downsizing was fairly popular when it was released in 2017, but Payne’s newer work is arguably much better yet struggling to reach the same levels of success. This highlights a huge problem with the streaming service industry and how it’s influencing the way audiences interact with new releases.

While it is not a bad movie, Downsizing wastes an interesting premise with a fairly forgettable story, and it’s understandably regarded as one of Payne’s more disappointing projects. However, since it is one of the movies streaming on Netflix, this is the project that’s gathering the most attention at the exact same moment that Payne has a new, much better film in theaters. Unfortunately, Payne’s new project is being overshadowed by Downsizing’s success and this is sure to have a negative effect on the director’s career heading into the future.

Downsizing Is Trending On Netflix While The Holdovers Struggles In Theaters

Interestingly, Downsizing is seeing this huge surge in popularity at the exact same time that Payne’s new movie The Holdovers is struggling in theaters. It’s unclear exactly why Downsizing is becoming so popular right now, but it’s likely an ironic consequence of all the attention being drawn to Payne by his new project. The director is currently in the public eye thanks to The Holdovers, which has caused streaming services like Netflix to capitalize on his success by pushing Downsizing, which in turn has damaged the performance of The Holdovers in the first place.

While The Holdovers hasn’t been given a wide release yet, the initial projections following the limited release are pretty underwhelming. Across six theaters in the United States, Payne’s new movie has taken in just $278,000 (via Box Office Mojo). That’s not to say that Downsizing was an enormous commercial success, as the project only took in $24m in the USA, but it’s certainly more promising than what’s happening with The Holdovers. Payne’s new movie will undoubtedly find more success when it catches a wide release, but the projections aren’t looking great.

The Holdovers Is The Better Alexander Payne Movie To Watch

Given The Holdovers is a much better movie than Downsizing, the former not being a hit is disappointing. Payne has clearly developed his style since the Downsizing reviews came in fairly negatively, and The Holdovers works where his previous project failed. The performances from Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa are very strong, providing audiences with some real laughs and giving the actors plenty of great jokes to make their characters stand out whereas Downsizing’s characters were somewhat forgettable. Although it’s great that Downsizing is being reevaluated thanks to its streaming success, the fact that it’s coming at the expense of The Holdovers is underwhelming.