Picture: Netflix
One of the most high-profile controversies in Netflix’s history will be departing the service in September 2024 as it’s exclusive distribution with Netflix ends.
Produced by Bien ou Bien Productions and France 3 Cinéma, the French film was caught up in a firestorm ahead of its release on Netflix back in September 2020.
Directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, the movie centers around an eleven-year-old who rebels against her conservative family to be part of a dance crew.
Netflix has had backlashes against its titles before, but nothing quite like the worldwide outrage and coverage that Cuties received. The controversy was regarding the film’s subject matter, which was highlighted by inappropriate promotional material in which minors are in provocative positions.
Some would argue the coverage was overblown, given what was ultimately released, but that point already did the damage.
To date, the movie is one of the rare occasions that Netflix has offered a public apology, which remains live on Twitter/X:
“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.”
The controversy caused a notable spike in subscription cancelations back in September 2020, according to Antenna, and went on to receive poor reviews from audiences on sites like IMDb, where it currently holds a 3.6 out of 10.
Once released, the movie featured in the US top 10 movie charts for 9 days before dropping out. We also know the movie had the equivalent of 1.5 million views throughout 2023.
Cuties Is Set To Leave Netflix Globally in September 2024
The movie is displaying a removal notice stating that your “Last day to watch on Netflix” is September 8th, with the removal planned for midnight on September 9th.
The removal of Cuties applies to Netflix globally.
Screen capture: Netflix
Why is Netflix removing the movie? Is it finally in response to the backlash? No, nothing like that. What it comes down to is that it was sold to Netflix exclusively for a four-year license period, and that period is now up.
You may think because a movie or a series is a Netflix Original that, it’ll stay on Netflix forever, but that’s not the case. We’ve seen dozens of Netflix Originals depart over the last few years, with many more joining them in the years to come. Netflix is also set to leave a few other Originals in September, such as a few Pokemon series for those in the US and Cathedral of the Sea.
On a few occasions, Netflix has renewed the license to a movie or show just before it’s removed or even licensed the title back without Netflix Original branding in the future. We don’t know if that’ll be the case here.
What do you think about Cuties‘ removal from Netflix? Let us know in the comments.