Remember all of those series you loved on Netflix but were cancelled earlier than expected? Well, the streamer has been saving up their money to ensure their favourites get the best treatment.
According to reports, the newest season of 'Stranger Things' cost upwards of $30 million per episode. In case you've been keeping track of high-spending productions, that's twice as much as the most expensive (and critically panned) eighth and final season of 'Game Of Thrones'.
The report comes from The Wall Street Journal, who put the streaming service's spending under a microscope in light of its fall in subscribers in recent months. Netflix has been in the news a lot of late, predominantly for losing 25% of shares in 2022's first quarter - the first time it's happened to them in over a decade.
Implementing price hikes worldwide seems to have turned users off from renewing their plans. Netflix has also made viewers aware that they're not happy about roughly 100 million households sharing Netflix accounts. All in all, it's been a rough few weeks for the streamer.
Reasons for 'Stranger Things' season four having to cost so much could be down to a number of factors: the season began filming in 2020, but had to stop due to the pandemic; the series is full of visual effects, which cost a pretty penny to make pop on screen; the young cast's profiles have grown considerably since season one, meaning they might have secured a bigger paycheque this time around; this time around, there are three intertwined stories happening at once, meaning the scope is bigger; and this is also one of Netflix's biggest draws, so they likely threw as much money at the series as creators The Duffer Brothers needed.
The Duffer Brothers have spoken briefly about potential spin-off series in the pipeline, but nothing has been set yet at Netflix. Expect more details on this once all of season four arrives on the streaming service.
$30 million per episode or not, we're hoping this new season delivers on taking the series to dizzying new heights. 'Stranger Things' season four will be split into two parts later this year, with volume one beginning on May 22, followed by volume two on July 1. The horror/fantasy series will end with season five.
