Netflix has proudly added a feather to its imaginary cap with ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, a show which became the streaming giant’s “biggest limited scripted series ever”! The show’s charm was such that it was watched by 62 million households in the first 28 days of its streaming, setting a record.
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ was viewed across the world “from Russia and Hong Kong, to France, Taiwan and Australia”. While it was positioned at the top of the table in 63 countries including UK, Argentina, Israel, and South Africa, it remained in the top 10 in 92 countries.
We had previously told you how among other celebrities, Stephen King tweeted about ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, describing it as “utterly thrilling” and also, how according to a report by apps monitoring agency Apptopia, the download of mobile chess games app have seen a massive rise in daily downloads.
Adding to the above, we now have some new accomplishments that have been achieved by this brilliantly made series. As per Netflix,
# The Queen’s Gambit novel is now on The New York Times bestseller list – 37 years after its release;
# Google search queries for chess have doubled while searches for “how to play chess” have hit a nine-year peak;
# Inquiries for ‘chess sets’ on eBay are up 250% and Goliath Games says its chess sales have increased over 170% ; and
# The number of new players has increased five fold on Chess.com.
Moreover, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ has piqued the interest of many in the next year’s World Championship, according to the International Chess Federation. All this proves that how a show centered around a young orphan chess prodigy, Beth Harmon, who faced addiction, loss and abandonment, became more than just a successful show but a global phenomenon.
It’s not just the show’s story that made Netflix’s ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ acheive what it did but the combined effort and hard work of the whole team that put together the fabulous show. From “Gabriele Binder’s exquisite use of checkerboard patterns in Beth’s wardrobe, composer Carlos Rafael Rivera’s suspenseful score, editor Michelle Tesoro’s gripping montages, production designer Uli Hanisch’s vibrant choices that pop off the screen in every scene, to cinematographer Steven Meizler, whose work transformed every match into heart-pounding drama”, it was all done so immaculately.
Based on Walter Tevis’ 1983 book of the same name, ‘The Queen’s Gambit‘ has been created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott for Netflix and is set in the Cold War era. The show stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead who has been praised extensively for her flawless performance as Beth Harmon.
If you still haven’t watched ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ on Netflix, we would say, it’s never too late to join the party!