One Of The Most Divisive Hercule Poirot Adaptations Is Dominating Multiple New Netflix Releases

Jul 18, 2026 - 01:16

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One Of The Most Divisive Hercule Poirot Adaptations Is Dominating Multiple New Netflix Releases

Published Jul 17, 2026, 5:03 PM EDT

Growing up around performers, storytelling was always central to Emma's life. Add in a nerdy older brother who introduced her to Marvel at far too young an age, and her love for entertainment led her to pursue a Journalism degree at Indiana University, where she discovered her passion for entertainment reporting. She spent nearly one year in Los Angeles covering industry stories and fully immersing herself in the world of entertainment media.

Agatha Christie's famous Hercule Poirot mystery cracks Netflix's top charts.

The iconic mystery author conceptualized many whodunit stories, and among her most famous detectives is the Belgian Hercule Poirot. Many actors have portrayed the iconic investigator on the big screen, including Albert Finney, Orson Welles, Charles Laughton, and, most recently, Kenneth Branagh. In fact, the Oscar-winning filmmaker directed and starred in the Poirot trilogy, which launched with 2017's Murder on the Orient Express.

Now, one of the more polarizing sequels, Death on the Nile, currently sits as Netflix's second most-watched movie worldwide. The mystery sits behind Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea while outperforming several newer Netflix releases, including Nothing to Lose, Enola Holmes 3, and Voicemails for Isabelle. The latest spike comes more than four years after the movie premiered in theaters, introducing Branagh's second outing as Hercule Poirot to a new streaming audience.

Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, looking upwards, in a still from Death on the Nile

Based on Christie's 1937 novel of the same name, Death on the Nile follows Poirot as what begins as a glamorous Egyptian honeymoon aboard a Nile River cruise quickly turns into a murder mystery. The cast includes Gal Gadot, Emma Mackey, Armie Hammer, Letitia Wright, Annette Bening, Sophie Okonedo, Russell Brand, Rose Leslie, Ali Fazal, and Tom Bateman.

Unfortunately, reviews of Death on the Nile were divisive, given the movie's structural issues and external controversy. While the criticism included heavy CGI and narrative changes, the timing of the movie's release coincided with the sexual allegations against Hammer. Gadot's campy and exaggerated line delivery also became a source of ridicule and spawned the meme "enough champagne to fill the Nile." As a result, the sequel grossed over $137 million worldwide against a $90–100 million budget.

Branagh's film was the third major screen adaptation of the Christie story, following the 1978 movie starring Peter Ustinov and a 2004 episode of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot featuring David Suchet. The trilogy concluded with his best-reviewed Poirot installment, A Haunting in Venice, in 2023. Unfortunately, it underperformed more than Death on the Nile, making just $122 million against $60 million.

Given the box office performances of the last two installments, it's unclear whether Branagh plans on making a fourth movie or intends to reprise the role in any capacity. Meanwhile, it hopefully won't be the last time audiences see Poirot on screen. In fact, the BBC confirmed that a Hercule series was in development with My Lady Jane star Edward Bluemel cast as the iconic detective. The casting also makes him the youngest actor to portray the character.

Currently, BBC's BritBox adaptation doesn't have a confirmed premiere date. In the meantime, viewers can watch Death on the Nile, which is streaming on Netflix.