Netflix’s 'East of Eden' draws 6.5 million views in just four days

Netflix’s East of Eden attracted 6.5 million views during its first four days of streaming, making the limited series the most-watched TV title on the platform for the week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 4.

The adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, created by Zoe Kazan and starring Florence Pugh and Christopher Abbott, topped Netflix’s weekly TV rankings following its release. Pugh plays Cathy Ames, while Abbott portrays Adam Trask in the series, which offers a new adaptation of Steinbeck’s classic story.

The Netflix series has also sparked renewed interest in the original novel. Penguin Classics reported a 200% increase in sales after Netflix announced that East of Eden was moving forward.

While East of Eden led Netflix’s TV chart, it was not the streamer’s most-watched title overall during the week. That distinction went to Unabomber, starring Jacob Tremblay, which recorded 24.9 million views in its second week on Netflix.

Two other films also ranked above the top TV titles. The Widower: ’Til Death Do Us Part placed second on the movies chart with 11.6 million views, while Tyler Perry’s Doing Life followed with 9.3 million views.

On the Netflix TV chart, East of Eden was followed by Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, which recorded 5.7 million views in its third week of streaming.

The strong opening for East of Eden gives Netflix’s Steinbeck adaptation an early boost as audiences continue to discover the new series and revisit the source material.