Not on the level of La Casa de Papel: Netflix got everything wrong with its latest heist series, and we think we know why

On paper, this could have been a huge success for Netflix. A Spanish series that combines robbery, very well-identified faces and an incredible story, the success of which only Iberian screenwriters can achieve. However, four days after the launch of Operation Banco Central on Netflix, the series is struggling in the ratings (currently in fifth position in the top 10), generating no conversation on Twitter or its AlloCiné page, which has “only” two reviews.

Prove once again that the magic recipe and “algorithmic” Netflix doesn’t really work anymore.

Positioning problem?

When Netflix released the first trailer for Operation Banco Central a few weeks ago, we already saw it as the successor to La Casa de Papel, the Netflix megahit that ended three years ago. And for good reason: it’s about a heist (but not really, you’ll find out later) and the cast includes four (4!) actors from the Alex Pina series. A shortcut is made quickly.

Subscribers who were able to start the series after this discussion were most likely disappointed. Because Operation Banco Central is more of a political thriller than a heist series. The first of five episodes sets the scene and takes us to Barcelona on May 23, 1981. Barely three months had passed since the attempted coup d’état in the Congress of Deputies when eleven hooded men entered the bank’s central office. Barcelona.

What begins as a spectacular heist quickly turns into a real challenge to Spain’s fledgling democracy, as the thieves hold more than 200 hostages (employees and customers) in the bank and threaten to kill them unless the government agrees to release Colonel Antonio Tejero and 23F’s Three other leaders.

The series goes behind the scenes of this political event, told from the point of view of the command, the journalists and the sponsors of the heist. Operation Banco Central has undeniable qualities – its reconstruction work, its aesthetics and its multiple twists. But viewers expecting to see the eccentric and grandiose side of La Casa de Papel will run the risk of being disappointed.

Auditorium at half-mast

To find out what’s going on with Operation Banco Central, it’s a good idea to check out the newsletter. Netflix and figures which analyzes the data every week. And here’s what he tells us:

“We’re also seeing things go to hell, My Good Lady, as the Spanish bank heist series averages just 2.7 million EVCs in its first 3 days, a low mini-launch average – Spanish series released. on Friday. Anyone who wants to is not La Casa de Papel. (The term EVC stands for “complete viewing equivalents,” a calculation method that involves dividing the number of minutes viewed by various sources by the duration of a given movie or series.)

Netflix has once again taken the easy way out with Operation Banco Central, which focuses more on its headliners than its positioning. And it’s symptomatic of everything the streaming platform does with its Spanish series, even if that means “recycling” Same actors, project after project.

We saw this recently with Respira, a medical drama where we already knew some of the actors – thanks to La Casa de Papel, Elite or Les Demoiselles du Telephone. If on paper it had all the ingredients for a hit, the series was ultimately not renewed by Netflix.

The audience is starting to get tired “Netflix Turnkey Formula” Offered to the Spanish side? The future will tell.