IT MAY rank among the best films of 2019 but Netflix viewers are struggling to watch The Irishman in one sitting.
Martin Scorsese’s absorbing mob drama, chronicling the life and times of real-life mafia hitman Frank Sheeran has been winning rave reviews from critics.
It marks something of a return to form for Scorsese, with the film also serving as something of a reunion for old cohorts Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino.
However, newly-published data has revealed that a large proportion of the streaming service’s subscribers failed to watch The Irishman’s in one go.
In the US alone, a staggering 13.2 million people watched the film within its first five day of debuting on the Netflix.
But Neilson data published by The Sun has revealed that, despite that strong showing, just 18 per cent of viewers finished the film in one go during its first day.
Though the data fails to take into account mobile devices, it has proven a strong indicator of viewing figures in the past.
Netflix offered up an indication of the number watching it in one go, with chief content officer Ted Sarandos confirming 26.4 million homes had seen 70% or more of the film.
The figures come after one fan went viral after he devised a clever "hack" to watch the film as a three-part mini-series.
I created a viewing guide for everyone who thinks THE IRISHMAN is too damn long for one night. You're welcome! #scorsese #netflix #theirishman pic.twitter.com/sH06AxJ7he
— Alexander Kardelo (@dunerfors) November 28, 2019
In this version of The Irishman, the ‘first part’ concludes around the 49-minute mark, at the point where Jimmy Hoffa ends his call to Frank Sheeran.
The ‘second part’ wraps up at 1 hour 40 minutes, when viewers are introduced to Joey the Blond.
Finally, the ‘third part’ concludes at 2 hours 47 minutes, when Frank exits his house.
From there viewers move on to the ‘fourth and final part’ of Scorsese’s crime epic.
A viral hit since being posted on Twitter, the idea of watching The Irishman as a four-part series is not without its detractors – with Scorsese chief among them.
The filmmaker dismissed the idea of The Irishman as a series, telling Entertainment Weekly “the point of this picture is the accumulation of detail”.
“It’s an accumulated cumulative effect by the end of the movie – which means you get to see from beginning to end [in one sitting] if you’re so inclined.
“A series is great. It’s wonderful. You can develop character and plot lines and worlds are recreated, but this wasn’t right for that.”
