Netflix thriller with bad reviews is climbing up the top 10

The Snowman
(Image credit: Universal)

We can't believe it either, but The Snowman is climbing through the Netflix Top 10.

Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), the movie stars Michael Fassbender as a detective set out to take down a serial killer who builds snowmen at his crime scenes. The Snowman is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by author Jo Nesbo, adapted for the big screen by Peter Straughan, Hossein Amini, and Soren Sveistrup. The film is currently sitting at no. 2 on the US Netflix Top 10 for English-Language Movies.

The film's viral marketing campaign featured the now infamous poster that read, "Mister Police, you could have saved her, I gave you all the clues" with a wonky snowman doodle as the killer's signature. 

Mister Police meme

(Image credit: Universal)

The poster became a widely-shared internet meme, though it didn't stop the movie from becoming a box office bomb. The Snowman grossed $43.1 million against a budget of $35 million, and holds a 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Martin Scorsese was attached to direct before abandoning the project in 2013. Alfredson signed on in 2014, and later blamed the film's troubled production on its shortened filming schedule (H/T ScreenRant). Around 10 to 15 percent of the original screenplay remained unfilmed.

The cast includes Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer, J.K. Simmons, Chloe Sevigny, Jamie Clayton, Adrian Dunbar, David Dencik, and Ronan Vibert in his final on-screen role.

The Snowman is now streaming on Netflix – and is gunning for that number one spot. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix movies to stream right now.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.