Saturday Night Live Celebrates 50 Years as New Biopic Gains Popularity on Netflix
Saturday Night Live has been a mainstay comedy series for decades now. The very first show was on October 11, 1975, marking 2025 as its 50th year on air. Over the years, Saturday Night Live skits have become ingrained in the cultural milieu, spawning their own sketch sequels months or even years later. The series has received critical acclaim, including over 300 Emmy nominations, making it the most-nominated television show of all time. SNL has had several famous hosts, most recently including Timothée Chalamet on January 25.
The creator behind it was writer and producer Lorne Michaels, who was just 30 years old when he first started the sketch comedy series. Now at 80, Michaels continues as a producer and showrunner for Saturday Night Live. As the series enters its 50th year, rumours of the producer's retirement have been swirling, but Michaels has not announced plans to retire. Last year, a biographical drama was created to chronicle Michaels and the start of Saturday Night Live, which is now performing well on streaming platforms.
Saturday Night has Found Its Big Break On The Netflix Charts
Saturday Night, originally released in October 2024, is now doing well on Netflix. The fast-paced biographical drama chronicles what occurred in the 90 minutes before the very first Saturday Night Live broadcast on October 11, 1975. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film features Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, and Lamorne Morris. Saturday Night received decent reviews, earning 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, but underperformed at the box office, ultimately grossing an unimpressive $9.8 million worldwide.
Despite its box office misfortune, Saturday Night has now landed on the Netflix charts. The movie currently ranks no. 4 on the platform’s top 10 charts in the United States as of January 29. This achievement comes shortly after the film was added to Netflix on January 25.
It Came Out During A Competitive Time
Saturday Night's box office disappointment was somewhat perplexing given the topic and the film's generally positive reception from the public. This may have been attributed to its competitive release timing. In September 2024, other films like Beetlejuice, The Wild Robot, and Transformers One were released, and the first weekend of October featured Joker: Folie à Deux, all of which posed challenges to Saturday Night during its limited and wide releases. The movie's delayed but notable success on Netflix indicates that its box office underperformance may have been more about timing than a disinterest in the film.
