Netflix's $90m Will Smith movie gets ripped by critics

Every big movie studio has a critical flop now and then. Now Netflix, which is trying to join Hollywood's big leagues with the new $90 million fantasy-action film Bright, has earned that badge of honour.

The Will Smith vehicle, which mixes Lord of the Rings-style mythical creatures into a tale about Los Angeles police officers, has registered 17 per cent positive reviews from top critics, according to RottenTomatoes.com.

"That old Hollywood standby, the venerable buddy cop movie, may have met its anguished demise this holiday season. Will Smith just killed it," wrote Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press in a review headlined: "Harry Potter vomited on a cop flick."

The movie will be available on the streaming-video service starting today. It's part of Netflix's attempt to build its own library of programming of all sorts - big-budget pictures, small documentaries, sitcoms, dramas, reality shows - so it won't have to rely on shows and films from rivals such as Walt Disney Co.

The company will release more than 80 films in 2018, building on the 50 or so released this year. A handful, like Bright, are big and expensive enough to be considered major Hollywood productions.

And like a Hollywood studio, Netflix isn't going to let some bad reviews get in the way if it thinks the film is getting results. The company is already planning a Bright sequel, Bloomberg reported this week.