Summary

• Ma, a divisive and unhinged horror movie, is now a hit on Netflix, ranking 6th on the streaming service's Global Top 10.
• The movie received mixed reviews from critics, praising the performances but criticizing the uneven pacing, unfulfilled potential, and portrayal of male teenage characters.
• Despite the divisive response, Ma was a box office success and gained a cult following online.

Ma, a divisive and unhinged horror movie from 2019, is now a Netflix hit. The psychological horror film follows a lonely middle-aged woman who befriends a group of teenagers by buying them booze and letting them party in her basement. However, the teens are soon terrorized by their host who has obsessive tendencies. Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer leads the Ma cast with Diana Silvers, McKaley Miller, Corey Fogelmanis, and Gianni Paolo playing the group of teens alongside Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, and Missi Pyle in ing roles.

Now, four years after Ma was a box office success, the divisive horror film is now a hit on Netflix. For the week of October 9 to October 15, Ma was watched for 5.8 million hours and received a total of 3.5 million views, ranking 6th on the charts and marking its first week in Netflix's Global Top 10. Ma is actually one of two Blumhouse horror movies in the Top 10 with Jordan Peele's Get Out taking the last spot.

Why Ma Was So Divisive

It's somewhat surprising to see Netflix subscribers gravitating towards Ma considering the divisive response it received upon its original release in 2019. The movie received mixed reviews from critics who applauded the performances – specifically Spencer, Lewis, and Pyle's. However, the reviews were also critical of its uneven pacing and portrayal of its male teenage characters, which ultimately contributed to its unfulfilled potential.

The divisive response from critics resulted in a 55 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes for Ma. The critical consensus claims that while Spencer's powerful performance compensates for some of the film's flaws, its inconsistent pacing and overly convoluted plot prevent it from achieving its full potential. Audiences who saw Ma were similarly split, with the movie's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes sitting at 64 percent.

Despite the divisive response from critics and audiences, the horror movie was a big box-office success, grossing just above $60 million against its small $5 million budget. The film also unexpectedly gained a cult following online, spawning many Ma memes which make the horror movie significantly less scary. With Ma becoming a hit on Netflix, perhaps more viewers will discover and appreciate the unhinged horror flick despite its many flaws.

Source: Netflix