A new Netflix movie led by a star from the Scream franchise has become a global hit just days after its release. The streaming service started off 2025 with the action comedy Back in Action starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, which was No. 1 on their Global Top 10 movies for three straight weeks despite being panned by critics as a formulaic action-comedy, resulting in a 29% Rotten Tomatoes score. However, many were glad to see Diaz and Foxx back in starring roles again.
After Back in Action topped the chart for three straight weeks, Amy Schumer’s comedy Kinda Pregnant finished in first place for last week. Similarly, the film was also widely panned by critics, resulting in a 28% Rotten Tomatoes score. Audiences enjoyed it even less, earning a 25% score from that group. Now, a new Netflix original movie led by a star from the Scream franchise has topped its global chart just days after its release.
La Dolce Villa Becomes A Global Netflix Hit
It Ranks No. 1 For This Week
La Dolce Villa has become a global hit on Netflix. Directed by Mark Waters, known for the romantic comedies Just Like Heaven, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and Netflix’s Mother of the Bride – Netflix’s new rom-com follows a businessman who travels to Italy to prevent his daughter from spending all her money restoring an old villa, but gets involved in a romantic entanglement. Scott Foley, who starred as Roman Bridger in Scream 3 and reprises his role in the upcoming Scream 7, leads La Dolce Villa‘s cast alongside Violante Placido, Maia Reficco, and Giuseppe Futia.
Now, just days after its release on February 13, the new rom-com has become a global hit on Netflix. La Dolce Villa ranks first on Netflix’s Global Top 10 movies for this week with 19.8 million views and 32.7 million hours viewed. Ranking below it are Kinda Pregnant, Aftermath, Shrek, Shrek 2, Back in Action, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, Norbit, Mission: Impossible – ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, and Shrek the Third.
La Dolce Villa is Netflix’s No. 1 movie in 43 countries this week, including Canada, Spain, and Germany.
What La Dolce Villa’s Netflix Success Means For The Movie
It’s Satisfying The Streamer’s Audience
Though La Dolce Villa has topped Netflix’s Global Top 10, it strangely has only seven reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t even enough to qualify for a critical score. In ScreenRant‘s La Dolce Villa review, Mae Abdulbaki writes, “I’m surprised Netflix’s tension-free rom-com held my attention for as long as it did… The result is a mixed bag that I enjoyed occasionally, though its inability to spark a greater emotional reaction is the film’s greatest weakness.” La Dolce Villa does have a 61% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting the rom-com is enough to satisfy Netflix’s target audience, despite its flaws.
Source: Netflix
