Having gone unnoticed when it was released in cinemas almost two years ago, this film nevertheless made a resounding entry into Netflix’s top 10 by ranking number 1 on the platform.
Box office failures can become streaming successes. This film, released in February on Netflix, proved it once again. Having gone unnoticed when it was released in cinemas in 2022, it now sits at the top of the most watched films on the streaming platform at the moment.
A Dress for Mrs Harris is the adaptation of the novel of the same name, written by Paul Gallico in 1958. Netflix subscribers are immersed in the life of Ada Harris, a woman who earns her living cleaning in the London of the 1950s. But when she discovers a dress by Christian Dior in the bedroom of one of her clients, she finds herself dreaming of having the same one so that her life will change. She then leaves for Paris to discover the world of fashion and find the famous dress. She will then change the history of the house of Dior. This feature film explores the tensions between the glamor and luxury of French and Parisian high society, but also the much more modest life of this Londoner, to show that dreams are not just reserved for an elite.
The casting of the film is logically Franco-British. Lesley Manville, who played the sister of Elizabeth II in the last two seasons of The Crown, plays the title role in the film opposite a cast of French celebrities: Isabelle Huppert and Lambert Wilson are in the party, as is Lucas Bravo, French actor revealed in Emily in Paris. Alba Baptista (Warrior Nun) and Rose Williams (Reign) complete the cast.
This dramatic comedy did not obtain a good result at the box office when it was released in cinemas on November 2, 2022 in France. Only 69,356 entries were recorded in France upon its release. The French press was not seduced either, the film receiving a rating of 2.5/5 on Allociné out of 13 press titles listed.
Internationally, the film is fortunately experiencing better success: according to information from IMB, the feature film would have earned $30 million (including $10 million in the United States) at the worldwide box office, for a budget estimated at $13 million.
A Dress for Mrs Harris therefore takes its revenge on Netflix: according to information from Flixpatrol, the film reached the podium of the most viewed films of the moment on Netflix on February 5. The next day, it reigns in first position on the streaming platform. It remains to be seen whether this success will be fleeting or lasting.
