‘Enola Holmes 3’ opens strong but sequel trails previous film by 32%

Millie Bobby Brown has once again led Enola Holmes to the top of Netflix's global film chart, but the latest chapter of the hit mystery franchise has opened with noticeably softer numbers than its predecessor.

According to Netflix's latest weekly viewership figures, Enola Holmes 3 debuted with 20.3 million views during its first five days on the streaming service after launching over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The performance was enough to make it the platform's most watched film of the week, proving that audiences are still eager to reunite with the young detective. However, the opening fell well short of the franchise's previous instalment.

Enola Holmes 2, released in November 2022, generated the equivalent of approximately 29.8 million views during its first five days. That means the third film's opening represents a decline of roughly 32%, despite arriving as one of Netflix's biggest original film releases of 2026.

The latest figures suggest that while the franchise continues to attract a sizeable global audience, its momentum has eased compared with the excitement surrounding the second film. The release also came during a long holiday weekend in the United States, a period that often boosts streaming activity, making the lower opening even more notable.

Despite the slower start, Enola Holmes 3 still comfortably outperformed most other films on Netflix during the reporting period. The mystery adventure secured the No. 1 spot on the English language films chart and remained one of the service's headline releases for the week.

The film marks Brown's return as Enola Holmes, the brilliant younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. Since the original film premiered in 2020, the character has become one of Netflix's most recognisable original movie leads. The series combines mystery, action and humour while following Enola as she solves increasingly complex investigations and builds her own reputation outside her famous family's shadow.

Brown also continues to serve as one of Netflix's biggest stars. Alongside the Enola Holmes franchise, she gained worldwide fame through Stranger Things and has headlined several high profile projects for the streamer. Her popularity has helped turn Enola Holmes into one of Netflix's signature original film series.

Although the opening numbers may appear lower than expected, the film still has time to build a larger audience. Netflix measures the long term success of its films over an extended viewing window rather than judging performance solely on opening week results. Strong word of mouth and continued global interest could allow Enola Holmes 3 to maintain healthy viewing figures in the weeks ahead.

For now, the latest instalment has achieved an important milestone by debuting as Netflix's biggest film of the week. Even with a 32% drop from the previous sequel's opening, Enola Holmes 3 remains one of the platform's highest profile original releases of the year, reinforcing the enduring appeal of Millie Bobby Brown's detective while raising questions about whether the franchise can regain the record breaking momentum of its earlier adventures.