Netflix's Lupin to hit 70 mln views, record for a French TV show

The Netflix-produced series "Lupin", is on track to hit 70 million views globally in its first month. It's a record for a French TV show with a modern take on France's beloved gentle thief starring Omar Sy. ‘’70 million, that's insane", Sy tweeted.

The series and the character are inspired by a hero of early 20th century French literature imagined by Maurice Leblanc. His granddaughter watched the adaptation.

"It's very funny, it's very well done. I found the first episode, a little too violent. The second one is calm and more in the spirit of what Maurice Leblanc was doing. But obviously, it is modernized, it is no longer in its context. So it's difficult to compare. Omar Sy is not Arsène Lupin. He is an emulator of Arsène Lupin and he robs in his own way'', Florence Leblanc said.

The 1905 book on which the series is based, ("Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar" by Maurice Leblanc), has shot to the top of book sales on Amazon.fr since release of the TV show.

"It was soon clear that the series had boosted book sales. The book that we see very regularly in the hands of Omar Sy and his son in the series is already out of print, out of stock. We're waiting for the reprint and in the meantime, we follow the movement a little bit and take advantage of the book's appeal to young people, have recommended a whole bunch of books", Amanda Spiegel, a Manager of bookshop said.

Lupin's success on Netflix, after that of La Casa de Papel, illustrates the end of American dominance over television shows. It’s a movement driven by platforms and the new ambition of European, Latin American or Korean actors.