Renowned author Stephen King admits he was surprised by Under Paris, the shark movie that has soared to the top of Netflix’s viewership charts. Originally titled Sous la Seine in the movie’s original French, the story of Netflix’s latest action-horror sees the city of Paris facing an unexpected threat when a giant shark enters the Seine. Despite being the streamer’s number 1 movie worldwide, the film is currently attracting mixed reviews with 35% audience and 67% critical scores on Rotten Tomatoes, hinting at significant divides between viewers.

Among the viewers weighing in on the merits of Under Paris, novelist King offered his ownassessment of the French shark-survival movie. Check out his posting below:

Initially thinking that the Netflix thriller would be a “jokey movie” in the vein of Sharknado, King says that he was finally convinced to watch it off the back of various Twitter/X recommendations. He even went as far as to say that the “last 25 minutes were amazing.”

Shark Movies Have Always Been A Hit And Miss Genre

Under Paris Belongs To A Genre With An Erratic Track Record

Despite Under Paris’ lagging audience scores, Netflix’s latest foray into the shark survival genre still appears to be attracting a considerable number of views. Raking in 40.9 million streaming views for the week of June 3 to June 9, its worldwide numbers would even dwarf the streamer’s number 1 English-language movie, Hit Man, which attracted 10.8 million views within the same period. Yet this unexpected success is just the latest entry in a genre renowned for delivering both blockbuster hits and near-total flops.

While many would seek to credit Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic Jaws as the start of audiences’ obsession with shark-based horror movies, the genre had a far less auspicious beginning with the 1969 Burt Reynolds movie Shark! Effectively stifling the career of director Samuel Fuller for nearly a decade, the filmmakers who would each dare to follow in his footsteps would all tread the same razor-thin line between success and monumental failure.

While subsequent movies, such as the Sharknado movies, would later attempt to play directly into the B-grade appeal of increasingly unlikely scenarios, Under Paris is somehow proving that the genre still has bite. Even if critics and general audiences can’t seem to agree on the movie’s overall merits, King’s endorsement may still urge more reluctant viewers to overcome any hesitation they may have due to the genre’s famously erratic track record.

Source: Stephen King/X/Twitter

Under Paris (2024)

Beneath the bustling streets of Paris lies a hidden world filled with ancient secrets and dark mysteries. A group of daring urban explorers sets out to uncover the truth buried within the city’s catacombs, only to find themselves facing a series of terrifying challenges. As they unravel the enigmatic past of Paris, they must confront their deepest fears to survive.

Director

Xavier Gens

Release Date

June 5, 2024

Studio(s)

Full Players , Let Me Be

Writers

Xavier Gens , Yannick Dahan , Maud Heywang

Cast

Berenice Bejo , Nassim Lyes , Léa Léviant , Anaïs Parello , Iñaki Lartigue

Runtime

101 Minutes

Main Genre

Mystery

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