Netflix series sets disastrous record despite being hailed a ‘masterpiece’

While Andrew Scott’s Ripley has stunned viewers with its gripping reimagining of a 90s classic, the figures are telling a much sadder story.

The Talented Mr Ripley, starring Jude Law and Matt Damon, has been transformed into a gritty black-and-white mini-series with Fleabag’s Hot Priest at the helm.

Viewers have hailed the Netflix series as a ‘masterpiece’ with an impressive 82% Rotten Tomatoes score to boot.

Originally a 1995 novel, the story follows grafter Tom Ripley as he inserts himself into the life of Dickie Greenleaf, the vagabond son of a wealthy family.

Despite the Netflix version leaving viewers ‘speechless’ it has failed to make a dent in streaming figures for its all-important opening weekend.

In fact, Ripley has managed to set the record for the worst opening for a limited series released on a Thursday – a usually popular day for streaming.

Fans have praised Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in Ripley (Picture: Netflix via AP)

The mini-series is a remake of 90s classic The Talented Mr Ripley (Picture: Lance Staedler/Paramount/Miramax/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

According to Whats On Netflix, it managed to launch with only 2.3 million Complete Viewings Equivalent (CVE).

This metric compares the streamer’s viewing figures in hours to the run time of a show, giving a representation of how many people watched the show completely.

Ripley is a mini-series with eight one-hour episodes so this could have impacted figures but black-and-white is notorious for failing to capture viewers’ attention.

Compared to other shows released on a Thursday day, such as One Day and Griselda, Ripley barely made a splash in the first four days since its release on April 4.

By comparison, One Day scooped up 5.3 million CVEs in the first four days while Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte boasted a whopping 22.9 million.

Despite positive reviews it’s failed to gain traction on Netflix (Picture: Netflix via AP)

Ripley has earned an impressive 86% on Rotten Tomatoes (Picture: AP)

Despite the relatively small viewership, fans have been praising Ripley on X for everything from the stylistic choices to Andrew’s performance.

‘The Netflix series Ripley is a masterpiece, shot entirely in black and white. Andrew Scott is brilliant,’ shared Helen Thomas.

Joey praised: ‘Give Andrew Scott all of the awards. His performance as Tom Ripley in @netflix’s “Ripley” is nothing short of astounding. If you haven’t watched yet, change that immediately.’

‘Visually Ripley is one of the best series Netflix has ever done,’ shared Niall O’Loughlin. ‘The use of black and white was like a homage to the classic film noir of 40s/50s.

‘The whole series filmed in Italy, is like a living work of art, and is a masterclass in cinematography.’

Ripley is available to stream on Netflix.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.