Zack Snyder thinks more people saw Rebel Moon than Barbie

Gabriela Silva
Sofia Boutella in Rebel Moon as Kora.

Zack Snyder has voiced his thoughts on the Barbie movie craze, believing his Netflix movie Rebel Moon did better in views than the Oscar-nominated movie.

Barbie has had Hollywood and fans in a chokehold since its 2023 release that rivaled Oppenheimer. Margot Robbie starred as the infamous childhood doll who gets a reawakening of what life is really about. The movie has been at the center of many award shows. It’s currently nominated for Best Picture at the 2024 Oscars.

But Zack Snyder had his own words to say comparing his Netflix movie Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire. The epic space opera is a storyline of Snyder’s own creation. It takes place in a distant galaxy where the Imperium threatens a farming colony. A former Imperium soldier to become its hero.

Rebel Moon had a limited theatrical release before joining Netflix. While Snyder’s movie wasn’t technically a success per our review, Snyder begs to differ regarding viewership numbers.

Zack Snyder believes Rebel Moon had more views

Speaking to Joe Rogan, Zack Snyder does the questionable math believing Rebel Moon was technically seen by more people than Barbie because of its streaming on Netflix.

On X/Twitter, the director’s comment on the Joe Rogan Experience was, “[Rebel Moon] is almost at 90 million views, right? They assume two viewers per screening, right? That’s the kind of math…. So more people probably saw REBEL MOON than saw BARBIE in the theater, right?”

Let’s break it down. Per Snyder’s comment, he believes that 90 million views equate to more than reported because it’s not one singular person watching. The logic implies that because Rebel Moon was streamed on Netflix, it meant two or more people could have been watching. Maybe a nice date-night movie for couples or a group of friends wanting to see his latest work.

It’s hard to believe, as Barbie was one of the biggest box office successes, with 1.446 billion. Fans are also scratching their heads at Snyder’s math logic.

“Very rich of him to assume Snyderbros have friends that will watch his movies with them,” said one fan on X/Twitter.

Another said, “Zack Snyder is becoming one of the least self aware ‘people are laughing at you not with you’ directors going in Hollywood. Is excessive use of slow motion shots and terrible CGI has become the Zack Snyder standard. Didn’t tune in to a minute of rebel moon.”

One fan observed how Netflix autoplay works. “Does Netflix still do that thing where you finish what you selected and it immediately autoplays some of its original content? Then they can go “Wow, over 200 million people watched BRIGHT last weekend! Trust us,'” they said.

“Does it count as a ‘view’ if you started to watch it but stopped it like 10 times because it sucked and barely watchable?” commented another on how Netflix tracks its analytics.

Snyder is set to release an R-rated extended cut in mid-2024, as well as the sequel, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, in April.

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About The Author

Gabriela is a Senior TV and Movies Writer for Dexerto covering Netflix, Disney+, K-Dramas and everything in between. She has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Fordham, and was previously a TV Writer for Showbiz Cheatsheet and List Witer for Screenrant. You can contact Gabriela at gabriela.silva@dexerto.com