Subscribers react to the controversy caused by the movie “Cuties”, which has been described as child pornography.

Washington DC (September 19, 2020, Gaudium Press) — Netflix, the giant company offering films via streaming is facing a serious threat to its finances.

In statements to Variety, a media outlet specializing in news about movies and their world, Netflix said that the cancellations of its service in the last month were 8 times higher than the previous month.

The reason? Most likely the controversy caused by the movie ‘Cuties’, which has been described as child pornography. The reaction has prompted successful social media campaigns using the hashtag #CancelNetflix.

According to YipiData, the recent cancellations of Netflix subscribers were the highest in many years, although the exact figure is not known. The company has about 200 million affiliates.

“Cuties” portrays a group of 11-year-old girls, classmates, forming a dance group. As the film progresses, the dances become more risque.

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The film’s director, Maïmouna Doucouré, has fended off criticism by saying that her intention was precisely to highlight and denounce the hypersexualization of minors.

“While we commend director Maïmouna Doucouré for exposing the very real threats to young girls having unfettered access to social media and the internet, we cannot condone the hyper-sexualization and exploitation of the young actresses themselves in order to make her point,” said Lina Nealon, director of corporate and strategic initiatives at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in a statement that was published in Variety.

Republican Senator and former U.S. presidential candidate Ted Cruz simply described the film as “pornographic” and called for a congressional investigation into it.

“If you have child pornography if you have children involved in sexual activities, if you produce it, if you distribute it, you face criminal sanctions,” Cruz said on September 13. “I guarantee that all pedophiles in the United States will see this film,” he said.

The shrinking of Netflix subscribers is an important finding for the many groups, several of them Catholic-inspired, that have campaigned against the company for this film. It would highlight the effectiveness of their action.

L’Avvenire

The controversy that also raised quite a lot of dust in Catholic circles. L’Avvenire, the Italian newspaper owned by the Italian Bishops’ Conference, has been under fire for a review of the film by its television analyst, Andrea Fagnoli.

Fagnoli voiced his opinion against the 600,000 people who had signed a petition demanding that the film be withdrawn. “They have not seen it or have limited themselves to the poster. Otherwise, they have not understood it or have looked at it with the wrong eyes,” he said referring to the first poster of the film, whose rough picture of a girl provoked such a reaction that it was withdrawn and forced a request for excuses from the production.

With information from CNA