The new thriller by Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato has climbed to the top of the platform's ranking, becoming Netflix's most-watched series worldwide. After a powerful start, word of mouth and curiosity about its premise have driven The atomic shelter to a leadership that places it ahead of English-language productions and other international phenomena.
Although its debut was notable, what has really been striking has been the consolidation in the second week: with a considerable jump in views and hours watched, the Spanish fiction has signed figures that place it above its direct competitors and reinforce the global pull of the Spanish label within the Netflix catalog.
A meteoric rise to fame in Netflix's Global Top 100
The first three days left 3,7 million views (27,2 million hours), just shy of the lead among non-English-language series. But the big shock came in the second week: 10,3 million views and 75,6 million hours watched, placing it not only at the forefront of non-English ones, but above those This month's releases in English from the same period.
This increase allowed him to surpass Incontrolable (8,2 million views and 48,8 million hours) already in the second week of Black Rabbit with Jude Law and Jason Bateman (7 million views and 52,9 million hours). In the international category, Alice in borderland T3 also squeezed with 8,5 million views (55,9 million hours), confirming the good moment of fiction from outside the United States.
According to daily ranking aggregators, the series is already listed as number 1 in 45 countries and has become the great Spanish title that leads the Top Global this year, something that underlines the growing weight of local productions on the platform.
- Explosive second weekend, with a jump in ratings.
- Direct competition with Black Rabbit y Alice in borderland.
- Sustained presence in the Global Top and leadership in dozens of markets.
What it's about and why it's so addictive
The premise places a group of millionaires in the Kimera Underground Park, a luxury bunker Sealed off by the threat of global conflict. Fortunes, secrets, and old family feuds coexist there, while the outside world seems to be hurtling toward the worst through a system of screens and warnings.
The series combines thriller, drama and science fiction elements with a very recognizable staging: endless corridors, armored doors and constant surveillance that turn the space into another character. At the end of the first episode, a key twist is revealed (warning of spoiler from 1×01): there was no nuclear holocaust; a high-level plot, orchestrated by Minerva, points to a sophisticated deception against the richest.
The result is a story of sustained tension and pulses of power, with exchanges of loyalties, hidden desires and personal strategies that feed the mystery chapter by chapter.
Who's in front of and behind the cameras
The creation is in charge of Alex Pina and Esther Martinez Lobato, responsible for the phenomenon The paper houseThe cast is divided between established faces and new talents: Miren Ibarguren, Natalia Verbeke, Carlos Santos, Alícia Falcó, Pau Simón or Joaquín Furriel, among others, give life to a gallery of characters with old wounds and crossed goals.
This team enhances the visual identity of the series with an international production and a rhythm designed to always leave an open question, one of the brands of the creative tandem.
Reception: the public sees it, the critics are divided
On landing, the scores are far from unanimous: 60% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes y 5,1 on IMDb, with reviews praising the production design and the hook of the premise, while questioning some of the twists and the melodramatic tone.
Part of the criticism highlights a very recognizable aesthetics of the "platform seal" and a certain tendency towards the soap opera code with occasional surprises, pointing out however the solvency of Miren Ibarguren in the most dramatic scenes. In any case, the interest does not wane: it is one of those titles that generate conversation for and against, and that also explains its boost in reproductions.
Continuity in sight? Expansion and locations
Netflix has not confirmed or denied a second season for now. However, Alex Pina has admitted that preemptive work has been done on possible continuation lines, "thinking about what would happen immediately afterward" of the events of the first installment, which leaves the door ajar.
As for its projection, the series continues gaining strength in key markets and it's already sneaked into the top 10 of United States, where it climbs positions week after week. The international pull is accompanied by a very local detail: part of the filming was done in Castril (Granada), with the iconic image of the Portillo reservoir footbridge as symbolic access to the bunker. The city council itself welcomed the presence of the Vancouver Media team, stressing that these landscapes will reach millions of homes.
Powered by data, the drive of the Global Top and a lively critical debate, The nuclear shelter consolidates its status as a recent phenomenon in the Netflix catalog: a mix of intrigue, tension, and visual brilliance that connects with the general public, while its immediate future is decided.
