The Antonio Banderas Sequel On Netflix That’s Better Than The Original
When the character Puss in Boots first appeared in Shrek 2, he was an instant hit with fans of the franchise. Voiced by Antonio Banderas, the adorable cat who is also a Zorro-like action hero was compelling enough to warrant his own movie in 2011 — which spawned its own sequel in 2022. Now, according to FlixPatrol, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has reached the top of Netflix’s U.S. charts — and has been doing quite well overseas, too.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is the most streamed movie on Netflix right now.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish appeared on U.S. Netflix on July 13, 2023, and it didn’t take long for movie lovers to begin watching it in droves. The very next day, it reached Netflix’s #1 spot, and it still remains there three days later. It has also spent 15 days in the Netflix Top 10 for South Korea, and eight days in the Netflix Top 10 in Belgium.
Even those numbers understate just how dominant Antonio Banderas’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has been digitally. Netflix isn’t the only platform that FlixPatrol tracks — along with other subscription services such as Max, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, it also tracks sales and rental statistics on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Rakuten, Chili and Vudu. Puss in Boots has regularly charted worldwide on every one of those platforms besides the European-based Chili.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish follows the continuing adventures of the titular feline, who is (loosely) based on the Italian fairy tale Il Gatto con Gli Stivali. In the movie, Antonio Banderas’ Puss in Boots discovers that he has used up eight of his nine lives after being crushed by a bell. To avoid retiring, he sets off in search of the legendary Wishing Star to restore his lost lives.
True to the nature of the rest of the Shrek franchise, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a mash-up of multiple fairy tales. Much like previous movies, timeless characters such as the Big Bad Wolf, Jack Horner, Goldilocks, and Pinocchio all appear in the film. In fact, one could argue that the Shrek franchise dabbled in the idea of a shared cinematic universe that would eventually lead Marvel Studios to unprecedented success.
Even though Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was released in the less-than-stellar post-pandemic movie market, the Antonio Banderas film managed to earn $485 million in theaters off of a $90-110 million budget. The film was very well received by audiences, earning an “A” CinemaScore. Critics also loved the film, which earned a 95 percent Tomatometer rating.
Much like previous movies, timeless characters such as the Big Bad Wolf, Jack Horner, Goldilocks, and Pinocchio all appear in the film.
All of the ratings Puss in Boots: The Last Wish received are improvements on the original, already-well-received Puss in Boots film. The first film, which featured Puss in Boots joining forces with Humpty Dumpty to hunt down the legendary Golden Goose and steal its eggs, received an “A-” CinemaScore and an 86 percent Tomatometer score.
However, since more people were going to theaters in 2011 than in 2022, the original Puss in Boots had a higher box office return, raking in $555 million worldwide.
The success of the first Antonio Banderas-led Puss in Boots film led to the creation of a TV series, The Adventures of Puss in Boots. The series launched on Netflix in 2015 and ran for six seasons lasted for six seasons over the course of just four years. It even spawned an interactive special, much akin to Netflix’s Bandersnatch, called Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale.
Critics loved the film, which earned a 95 percent Tomatometer rating.
Puss in Boots also had a 2011 video game that was released on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS — though only the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were well-received. A short 13-minute film, Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos was also created as part of the original film’s DVD and Blu-Ray release.
Even with the first film’s success, it took 11 years for a sequel with Antonio Banderas to release — in part because the $555 million box office was less than any other Shrek Film. This signaled a lack of enthusiasm in the franchise following Shrek Forever After’s $750 million box office earnings — which was the lowest-grossing Shrek film at the time of its release in 2010.
It’s unknown whether $485 million is enough to convince studios to revitalize the franchise, though the film’s top spot on Netflix might help convince executives to try yet another entry. You can check out Puss in Boots: The Last Wish for yourself right now on Netflix.
