‘The Mitchells vs The Machines’ Becomes Netflix’s Biggest Animated Movie Ever

Netflix says that “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines,” its animated family film, was the streamer’s biggest animated movie it has ever released.

The film that was produced by Sony and originally intended for theatrical release was watched by an estimated 53 million member households in its first 28 days, Netflix said in its earnings report on Tuesday. The film debuted on April 30.

The film has also been highly critically acclaimed, coming from the team behind “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and Nielsen has similarly tracked impressive numbers for the film in its weekly streaming rankings. “The Mitchells” in May became the first movie since “Soul” to lead all streaming movies for a given week, being watched by 853 million viewing minutes at its peak. And it still performs strongly week over week and frequently appears in Netflix’s daily Top 10.

But “The Mitchells” wasn’t even the biggest movie on Netflix during Q2, with Netflix saying that Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” and the Kevin Hart drama “Fatherhood,” (another Sony title originally), being watched by 75 million and 74 million member households respectively in their first 28 days on the service. That’s strong, but not close to some of the biggest films to ever premiere on Netflix, including films such as the Chris Hemsworth action film “Extraction,” which was watched by 99 million member households in its first four weeks.

“The Mitchells Vs The Machines” (originally titled “Connected”) is the story of a quirky, dysfunctional family looking to unplug for a summer vacation, only to find themselves in the midst of a robot apocalypse in which machines and technology threaten to take over humanity. Netflix acquired the film for release from Sony, and it joins some of the streamer’s other recent animated films, such as “Wish Dragon” or the Oscar nominated “Over the Moon.”

Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe directed the film that was produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The film features the voice talent of Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Charlyne Yi, Blake Griffin and Conan O’Brien.