Millie Bobby Brown returns as the titular character of “Enola Holmes 3,” which is now available on Netflix and has surged past 20 million views in a matter of days. After its arrival on July 1, the third entry following Enola’s journey quickly gained a substantial viewership, although it hasn’t reached the numbers that the first two films saw.
“Enola Holmes 3” continues the story of the youngest Holmes family member as she’s faced with a new mystery in the middle of planning her wedding that sends her to Malta: the kidnapping of Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill).
While 20 million views is a good start for “Enola Holmes 3,” it’s possible that being released right before a holiday weekend for United States viewers lowered what that number might’ve been. For comparison, the second film received about 29 millions views within the same time period.
Critical Reception for ‘Enola Holmes 3’ is Mixed
GettyThe reception for “Enola Holmes 3” has also dropped. The first two movies both have over 90 percent fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, but the third movie is currently sitting at 68 percent fresh.
Bilge Ebiri at Vulture calls the movie fun to watch, thanks to Millie Bobby Brown’s performance, but finds that the lightheartedness from the first movies has been dampened. Meanwhile, Tim Robey at Daily Telegraph felt that Enola should’ve resembled the novel’s version of the character more, saying:
“In the YA books by Nancy Springer, Enola solved puzzles and outsmarted her brothers. That was the point. This film not only promotes her dreamboat fiancé to crucial co-lead status, but also depicts her as a breathlessly fickle know-it-all.”
Audience reviews have been similarly mixed both on Rotten Tomatoes and on social media. Some viewers find the movie to be enjoyable as it still has a lighter atmosphere overall, but not to the extent of the first two. Others consider it to be unwatchable.
Now, the question is if Netflix will decide to continue the series with a fourth movie, or if it sees the drop in viewership and reception as a sign to leave “Enola Holmes” as a trilogy.
Will There Be an ‘Enola Holmes 4’?
GettyNetflix usually takes a month or two, at least, to decide if a title will receive more content. This means that the earliest news about a fourth Enola movie could appear is at the start of August, but it’s likely that Netflix will wait longer to see how viewing numbers shift before making a decision.
The series by Nancy Springer includes a total of 11 novels, but the movies don’t follow the content of the books too closely. However, the style of “Enola Holmes” lends itself well to perpetually endless sequels.
Since the lighthearted nature of Enola and her whimsical adventures are the main draw for the movies, Netflix could keep giving Enola mysteries to solve as she works as a private investigator like Sherlock.
For now, the future of “Enola Holmes” after its third movie remains a mystery. The viewership drop between the second and third movie is rather steep with a roughly 30 percent difference, which could be enough for Netflix to decide it’s time to move onto another project.
With other originals like “I Will Find You” and the interactive horror “Unhinged” seeing success, Netflix continues to pull in numbers despite the drop in Enola’s views between movies, and with the third movie getting a respectable 20 million views over a holiday weekend.
