Anna Kendrick & Blake Lively's Hit Thriller Becomes Netflix Success (& A Sequel Is In The Works)

Summary A Simple Favor is now a Netflix success, ranking 8th on the Global Top 10 with 6.3 million views.

The thriller's unexpected plot twists and dark humor earned critical acclaim and a strong 84% Rotten Tomatoes score.

A sequel, A Simple Favor 2, has been officially announced with original cast members returning for a lavish wedding storyline.

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively's hit thriller, A Simple Favor, becomes a Netflix success, and a sequel is already in the works. Directed by Paul Feig (known for the Melissa McCarthy comedies Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy, and Ghostbusters) with a script by Jessica Sharzer, based on the 2017 novel by Darcey Bell, the 2018 thriller follows Stephanie Smothers, a single mother and small-town vlogger investigating the sudden disappearance of her secretive affluent friend, Emily Nelson. Other than Kendrick and Lively in the lead roles, A Simple Favor's cast includes Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Linda Cardellini, Rupert Friend, and Jean Smart.

Now, six years after its release, Kendrick and Lively's thriller is now a Netflix success. For the week of May 20-26, A Simple Favor ranked 8th on Netflix's Global Top 10 chart with 6.3 million views and 12.2 million hours viewed. It placed below Ice Age: Collision Course with 7.2 million views and above Madame Web, which received 6.2 million views in its second week in the Top 10.

A Simple Favor's Success Has Paved The Way For A Sequel

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As a traditional thriller that combines elements of crime and comedy, A Simple Favor was a surprise success in 2018, receiving acclaim from both critics and audiences for its unexpected plot twists, potent performances, dark humor, and Hitchcockian elements. A Simple Favor reviews especially praised its surprising plot twists and darkly entertaining narrative, declaring it a stylish entry into the "mom-noir" subgenre, which blends elements of traditional noir with themes and settings related to motherhood and domestic life. As a result, A Simple Favor holds a strong 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Related A Simple Favor Ending: Disappearance Reveal & The Many Twists Explained Paul Feig's A Simple Favor features plenty of twists and reveals as a woman's disappearance is investigated - now we break down that ending.

A Simple Favor was also a sleeper hit at the box office, nearly hitting the $100 million mark on a mere $20 million budget. Audiences also enjoyed the thriller's many twists and turns, as indicated by its 73% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes with over 5,000 ratings from users. However, even with a strong box office haul, the thriller really didn't break out until it hit streaming services like Hulu and Amazon Prime the following year. Now, following its recent addition to Netflix, A Simple Favor is continuing to be a success on streaming services.

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A Simple Favor's success has paved the way for a sequel, A Simple Favor 2, which was often discussed before being officially announced in May 2022. Feig and Sharzer are returning to write and direct, with original cast members Kendrick, Lively, Golding, Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, and Kelly McCormack all reprising their roles. The sequel follows Stephanie and Emily as they travel to the picturesque island of Capri for the latter's lavish wedding to a wealthy Italian entrepreneur. Considering A Simple Favor's recent success on Netflix, this should only increase interest in the upcoming sequel.

A Simple Favor is streaming on Netflix, though the sequel will be released on Prime Video.

Source: Netflix