Summary
Netflix recently addedCold Meatto their line-up, and the film’s success is a hint at a much more significant trend among movies.Cold Meatis a 2024 thriller following David Petersen, a man who saves a woman from her abusive ex, but soon after, becomes trapped in a snowstorm and finds himself being stalked by a mysterious beast. The movie stars Allen Leech as David and Nina Bergman as Ana. After a limited theatrical release in February, thesurvival thrillerCold Meatis a Netflix hit.
Among Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched English language movies during the final week of May 2024,Cold Meattook the number nine spot. It wasreported to have 3.9 million viewers and 5.8 million streaming hours.Cold Meat’sachievement is especially impressive because the movie isn’t available to watch for American Netflix users. All in all,Cold Meat’splace at the top of Netflix’s charts not only reflects the quality of the movie, but is also a signal of a recent trend among Netflix viewers. It seems that snowy survival movies may be the next big thing.
The 10 Best Survival Movies Of The 2010s
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Cold Meat Is Another Snowy Survival Movie To Be Popular On Netflix After Society Of The Snow
Society Of Snow Saw Incredible Success 5 Months Ago
Although the movies have obvious differences, including language, premise, and certain aspects of genre, the commonalities they do share make them a notable duo
Ordinarily, the success ofCold Meatwouldn’t be very significant, butits proximity to another prosperous survival movie definitely makes it stand out.In December 2023, Netflix released theAndes disaster movieSociety of the Snow,a dramatic thriller following the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team who crash lands in the Andes Mountains in 1972. Although the movies have obvious differences, including language, premise, and certain aspects of the genre, the commonalities they do share make them a notable duo. BothCold MeatandSociety of the Snoware popular films exploring a survival scenario amid treacherous snowy conditions.
WhenSociety of the Snow wasreleased on Netflix, it rose to prominence quickly. In its first 11 days, the film garnered 51 million streaming hours, and as of August 22, 2025, it is the secondmost popular international film on Netflix. Itnow has 239.7 hours viewed(viaCatalan News). These numbers far exceed whatCold Meathas accumulated, but the movies' successes are still comparable. In a short time,Cold Meathas made a name for itself among Netflix’s Top 10, and if it’s lucky, the movie could reach the same heights thatSociety of the Snowhas.
Why Cold Meat Is So Popular On Netflix & With Critics
Cold Meat Has A Tight, Thrilling Story
Cold Meat’spopularity may be linked to a rising interest in snowy survival movies, but based on reviews, the movie has more merit than just an interesting premise. On Rotten Tomatoes,Cold Meathas an impressive 92% critics' score, with reviewers saying that the movie has a fast-paced, spooky storyline and a satisfying pay-off. To be fair, there are only 12 reviews currently posted for the film, but it’s a good sign that almost all of them have positive things to say. Ultimately,Cold Meatis off to a strong start.
Is Cold Meat Based On A True Story Like Society Of The Snow?
The Supernatural Element Confirms Its Fictional Nature
At first glance,Cold Meatmay seem like it’s based on a true cold element survival story, but it pretty quickly veers into a clearly fictional realm. Once the cannibalistic elemental spirit begins to stalk David, that’s where the story establishes that it’s not an adaptation of any real-life event. In this way, it’s far less like the true storySociety of the Snow, and much more like Showtime’s hit seriesYellowjackets, which blends elements of survival, cannibalism, and the supernatural.
That’s not to sayCold Meatdoesn’t have realism at its core. Indeed, it employs a realistically grounded portrayal of survival in many ways, and it’s that adherence to realism that makesCold Meatso effective when it does decide to weave in the more supernatural elements of the movie. But in terms of being based on a documented true story likeSociety of the Snow, that’s a no on the part ofCold Meat. It’s a wholly fictional creation, albeit a well-crafted one.
Other Survival Movies To Watch After Cold Meat
WithCold Meatbeing a big hit on Netflix, it’s likely viewers will be looking for something similar to scratch the survival movie itch, especially if it’s set in a frozen climate. Luckily, there’s no dearth of cold climate survival thrillers out there for those who want to keep it going.
Society of the Snow
2024
2017
2010
2015
1993
2011
1982
2018
Mads Mikkelsen
Hulu & Prime Video
Some of the movies on this list, such asAlive,Everest, andThe Revenant, are based on true stories of real historical events. Others are the purest form of man-vs-nature story, such asArcticandThe Grey. And at least one,The Thing, incorporates fantastical horror elements. All, however, take place in frozen, unforgiving settings and, much likeCold Meat, show characters pushed to their limits in the face of nature’s most hostile climate.
Cold Meatis available to rent from Youtube, Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandago at Home, Google Play, and Redbox.
