More than two decades after its theatrical release, one of the best romantic comedies of the 2000s, Sweet Home Alabama, has unexpectedly resurfaced on Netflix. Premiering on Sept. 27, 2002, Sweet Home Alabama stars Reese Witherspoon as an engaged New York fashion designer who returns to her small Southern town to divorce her estranged husband.
Seeing as how Sweet Home Alabama is more than 20 years old, its appearance on the Netflix charts is somewhat baffling. Though it has since fallen out of the Top 10, for the week of Feb. 2 – Feb. 8, it was the fifth most popular movie on the streaming service. It racked up an impressive 4.4 million views for a total watch time of 8 million hours. That was enough for it to best the likes of 2018’s Overboard, the Ben Stiller comedy, Night at the Museum, and the Gerard Butler thriller, Copshop.
‘Sweet Home Alabama’ Held an Impressive Record for 10 Years
Directed by Andy Tennant and written by C. Jay Cox, Sweet Home Alabama also stars Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Candice Bergen, Ethan Embry, and Melanie Lynskey. Produced for $30 million, the romantic comedy took in a worldwide total of $180 million by the time its theatrical run was over. Not too shabby for a mid-budget rom-com that has absolutely nothing to do with Valentine’s Day, right?
What’s even more impressive is that during its first weekend of release, Sweet Home Alabama grossed a little over $35 million, giving it the record for the highest September opening weekend in history, which — up until 2002 — was held by the 1998 action-comedy, Rush Hour. Surprisingly, Sweet Home Alabama held that honor for a decade before it was finally dethroned by Hotel Transylvania in 2012. Who knew?
Why Did ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ See a Sudden Resurgence on Netflix?
While Sweet Home Alabama has always been a reliable favorite in the romantic comedy genre, its sudden resurgence on Netflix to the point that it would enter the Top 10 is a bit of a mystery, but one that can be easily solved when you dig a little deeper.
For one, we’re getting close to Feb. 14, which makes rom-coms all the rage right now. These types of movies typically see a spike around Valentine’s Day as people look for something comforting to watch. Though it was panned by critics, Sweet Home Alabama does have an audience score of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that it’s still a beloved classic for a lot of people.
Of course, the appearance of Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey doesn’t hurt, especially when you consider the two stars have been back in the limelight recently. Lucas appeared on Yellowstone as a young John Dutton during the show’s many flashbacks, and Dempsey is currently starring in the Fox crime drama, Memory of a Killer. As such, people have been searching out some of their previous work, which includes Sweet Home Alabama.
It’s for those reasons, and a few others, such as TikTok creators recommending the movie for Valentine’s Day, that Sweet Home Alabama managed to see an impressive spike on Netflix recently. If you’ve yet to see this charming romantic comedy, be sure to add it to your watchlist to check out this coming weekend.
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