A Mexican Comedy Thriller Shoots Straight To The Top Of Netflix's Worldwide Charts

Netflix isn't just reheated Michael Fassbender thriller flops, y'know. Sometimes it's also terrible, nightmarish dating shows. I kid ... sort of. The platform that currently dominates the streaming sphere seemingly got the memo about churning out "content" to combat audience churn early, and has been serving up a bewildering array of media on a regular basis for some time, often looking to international sources for some of its most popular offerings.

For example, Italian thriller "Vanished into the Night" recently proved popular on Netflix, while British superhero series "Supacell" similarly made its mark on the streamer's top charts. These are just two recent examples, but Netflix has, to its credit, been introducing audiences to an impressive amount of international media for some time. 2023 saw Mexican drama series "Thursday's Widows" climb the most-watched charts and now the country has once again contributed to Netflix's mission to entertain us all to death with comedy thriller "Non Negotiable."

This satirical take on a hostage thriller sees Mauricio Ochmann play hostage negotiator Alan Bender, who alongside his official duties is also teetering on the edge of a divorce. After the president of Mexico (Enoc Leaño) is abducted, Bender is forced to put all his focus on rescuing the country's leader — only for his wife, Victoria (Tato Alexander), to also become a hostage. Directed by Juan Taratuto, "Non Negotiable" and its unlikely mix of comedy and action is proving quite popular on Netflix, and not just in Mexico.

Streaming viewership data aggregator FlixPatrol gives us a good idea of how well "Non Negotiable" has fared since debuting on Netflix on July 26. The show immediately caused a stir in Mexico, hitting No. 1 the following day and remaining there until July 30, when it dropped to the number two position. But that won't worry Netflix or the film's creators, as "Non Negotiable" has managed to dominate the charts worldwide.

"Non Negotiable" is in the number one position in six countries as of August 1, 2024, topping the charts in Kenya, Luxembourg, Martinique, Morocco, Portugal, and Venezuela. What's more, at the time of writing the film is also charting in 71 countries around the world, which is about as well as any film or TV show can fare on Netflix. 

The real test will be to see what sort of staying power "Non Negotiable" has, as it has already slipped from the top spot in its native Mexico. Stateside, the movie is also on a downward trajectory, having debuted on the most-watched charts at number five on July 27, 2024, remaining there until July 30 when it slipped to the sixth spot, then falling to No. 8 where it sits as of August 1. It seems unlikely the film will climb back up the charts now, but there's no doubt it's had a respectable run.

"Trolls Band Together" and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," which are currently ruling the Netflix most-watched charts, were too much for Bender and his negotiation skills to overcome. "Non Negotiable" seems to be at the tail-end of its impressive run in Mexico and the U.S., though the fact it remains No. 1 in six countries certainly bodes well for Juan Taratuto's comedy thriller.

Unfortunately, while this would have been a nice opportunity to say that the Netflix machine has actually served up something worth your time, "Non Negotiable" currently has a lowly 33% critic rating and 20% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, Rotten Tomatoes isn't to be trusted any more than whoever greenlit Kevin Hart's "Lift," which similarly dominated the Netflix charts earlier this year. But 33% is a pretty shocking percentage, even if it is based on just six reviews. The actual average rating for the film isn't much better, either, with RT determining that critics generally gave the film a 4.6 out of 10.

So, while it's nice to see global audiences exposed to a film from outside their borders once again, Netflix probably hasn't produced a classic here. In fact, "Non Negotiable" seems destined to become yet another middling streaming movie lost to the inexorable tide of "content." Still, at least it got its moment in the spotlight.