Will Smith’s ‘Bright’ is doing numbers but is it really dead trash?

Netflix’s controversial, polarizing and critically shamed Bright has amassed 11 million viewers in three days according to according to Nielsen estimates.

The film — staring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton — has sparked conversation due to the varying difference of opinions of the film.

From movie critics hailing it as the worst Netflix movie of the year  to Chance, The Rapper hosting an open debate on Twitter, it’s to see how the Netflix original would gain attention.

just watched 10 mins of will smith's "bright" and now i understand waterboarding

— Desus Nice (@desusnice) December 23, 2017

https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/946129808571891713

One of the main critiques of the film is that it tries to tackle more than what could fit in a film. Bright tackles racism, classism and flips it in a way that was extremely thought provoking.

Wondering how you guys are feeling about the lynched ork in #Brightmovie

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 27, 2017

I found the way they tried to illustrate americas racism through the mythical creatures to be a little shallow. #Brightmovie

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 27, 2017

I always feel a lil cheated when I see allegorical racism in movies cause that racism usually stems from human emotion or tolerance but not by law or systems the way it is in real life. The characters in #Bright live in a timeline where racism is gone… cause we hate ork now 🤨

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 27, 2017

This is really good for Will Smith who was once regarded as “Mr. July” for his streak of delivering blockbuster hit every Summer. Having hype around a film with him as the lead has been rare of late, so the attention proves he still has it.

While the sci-fi/buddy-cop movie which was released December 22nd did well, because it’s not your traditional box office movie and Netflix doesn’t reveal such metrics it’s hard to see to which extent.

For some perspective, Nielsen did say that Bright was less popular than supernatural-thriller series Stranger Things season 2 — but drew a bigger crowd than the second season of Queen Elizabeth II drama The Crown.

The real loser here are the movie theaters who are now witnessing the will of movie lovers. Being that Bright had Netflix’s best three day run for a movie premiere in some time, it does nothing but motivate other studios to do the same.

When you see the previews, watch the interviews with Will Smith and co-star Joel Edgerton or even just take a look at the film’s poster, you get a sense that “Bright” is not your ordinary film.

Ignoring the hype and checking it out for oneself might be the best route to enjoying the film, especially when it’s as cold as it is.

But it definitely still might be trash.