Updated
Updated · The A.V. Club · Jul 2
Millie Bobby Brown Becomes Netflix’s Star-System Test Case After Stranger Things Made Her at 12
Updated
Updated · The A.V. Club · Jul 2

Millie Bobby Brown Becomes Netflix’s Star-System Test Case After Stranger Things Made Her at 12

3 articles · Updated · The A.V. Club · Jul 2

Summary

  • Enola Holmes 3 puts Millie Bobby Brown into her first major post-child-star role, sharpening scrutiny on whether Netflix can turn its biggest homegrown actress into a durable adult leading lady.
  • Netflix’s strategy rests on exclusivity: after splashy films with expensive established stars such as Red Notice and The Gray Man failed to become must-see events, it needed talent audiences associate primarily with its platform.
  • Stranger Things gave the streamer that opening, transforming Brown from a little-known 12-year-old into an Emmy- and SAG-nominated breakout as Eleven in one of Netflix’s foundational global franchises.
  • That makes Brown a modern version of an old Hollywood studio asset, with Netflix effectively reviving the star-making model it once claimed to disrupt as it tries to secure long-term subscriber appeal.

Insights

Beyond Hollywood, can Netflix's new global talent programs successfully create the next Millie Bobby Brown and redefine international stardom?
Can Netflix's new 'studio system' justify record-high subscription prices with just a few homegrown stars like Millie Bobby Brown?