Netflix animated holiday movie “Klaus” has been watched in nearly 30 million households worldwide during its first month, landing among the streaming service’s most-watched original movies, according to data the company provided to Reuters.
“Klaus,” a story of how Santa came to be, is Netflix’s first original animated film and part of an effort to build a library of family programming as it competes with new streaming rivals including Walt Disney Co (DIS.N).
Netflix only selectively releases viewership figures for programming it considers a hit, and the numbers are not verified by a third party. The company counts a view when an account streams at least 70% of a movie.
“Klaus” has attracted high repeat viewing that is not included in the nearly 30 million figure, Netflix said. The number reflects viewership over the first 28 days since its Nov. 15 debut.
Made mainly using hand-drawn animation, the film tells the story of a selfish postman and a reclusive toymaker who form an unlikely friendship. It was written and directed by Spanish animator and “Despicable Me” creator Sergio Pablos and features the voices of J.K. Simmons and Jason Schwartzman.
The world’s largest streaming service, Netflix boasts more than 158 million subscribers around the world. But it is facing new competition, particularly from Disney, which has been removing its movies from Netflix and putting them on the Disney+ streaming service.
