‘Enola Holmes 3’ Tops Netflix Charts, But Can Millie Bobby Brown’s Detective Keep Her Crown?
Millie Bobby Brown has spent years building one of Netflix’s most dependable franchises, and fans have been counting down the days since the actress teased her long awaited return to Victorian sleuthing. The ‘Enola Holmes’ series turned a modest mystery adaptation into a global streaming juggernaut, pairing Brown’s sharp wit with Henry Cavill’s brooding take on Sherlock. After nearly four years away, the franchise finally made its comeback this month, and the internet has been watching closely to see if the magic still holds.
The wait ended on July 1, when ‘Enola Holmes 3’ arrived on the platform with a fresh case waiting in Malta. This time, Enola is preparing to marry Lord Tewkesbury, played once again by Louis Partridge, only for the wedding to be upended when Sherlock goes missing. Director Philip Barantini takes over from Harry Bradbeer for this installment, working from an original script by Jack Thorne rather than an adaptation of Nancy Springer’s book series.
Now the numbers are in, and they confirm what Variety first reported. ‘Enola Holmes 3’ became the most watched title on Netflix during the week of June 29 to July 5, racking up 20.7 million views in its first five days on the platform. That was enough to land it at No. 1 on the English film chart, easily ahead of the week’s other new arrivals.
The bigger story, though, is how that number stacks up against the franchise’s past. ‘Enola Holmes 2’ hit 64.1 million hours watched back in 2022, which translates to roughly 29.3 million views, and it reached that mark in just three days rather than five. When broken down into daily averages, that gap becomes even more pronounced, with the sequel averaging about 9.8 million views per day compared to roughly 4.1 million per day for the threequel.
Part of that slower rollout may simply be bad timing. ‘Enola Holmes 3’ is competing directly against the ongoing FIFA World Cup, which has been drawing record audiences on multiple networks in the United States. Critics have also been noticeably cooler this time around. The film currently holds a 68 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from 52 critics and a weighted 60 percent on Metacritic, both notably lower than its predecessor’s reception. In its review, ScreenRant argued the story has grown repetitive, noting that Enola’s arc has started to feel like the same lesson repeated across all three films.
Whether that dip in enthusiasm translates into a real ceiling for the franchise remains to be seen. Based on current pacing, it appears unlikely the film will have the momentum to surpass ‘Enola Holmes 2’ within its 91 day premiere window on Netflix’s most popular films list. Still, with Brown’s expansive first look deal with the streamer, this almost certainly won’t be the last time Netflix leans on her star power.
For now, ‘Enola Holmes 3’ is Netflix’s top movie of the week, wedding chaos and all. Do you think the franchise still has another mystery in it, or is it time for Enola to hang up her detective hat for good?
