Contagion,
released
in
2011,
has
become
one
of
the
most-watched
films
online
since
coronavirus
pandemic.
The
film
which
ranked
at
270
as
the
most
popular
films
back
in
December
2019
and
is
now
right
behind
the
Harry
Potter
franchise
according
to
the
distributor,
Warner
Bros.
The
film
has
seen
a
huge
spike
on
download
sites
amid
the
coronavirus
pandemic
because
of
its
similarities
with
the
current
situation.
Directed
by
Stephen
Soderbergh
and
written
by
Scott
Z
Burns,
it
follows
the
story
of
a
fictional
illness
that
kills
26
million
people
worldwide.
Other
directors
like
Barry
Jenkins
(Moonlight)
and
Edgar
Wright
(Shaun
of
the
Dead)
have
also
become
a
fan
of
the
film.
Both
reportedly
took
to
their
twitter
accounts
and
told
their
fans
that
they
watched
the
film
after
isolating
themselves
indoors.
Jenkins
told
The
New
York
Times,
"I
paid
$12.99
to
watch
a
10-year-old
movie,
I've
never
done
that
before.
It
felt
like
I
was
watching
a
documentary
that
has
all
these
movie
stars
playing
real
people."
Meanwhile,
Wright
wrote
on
Twitter,
"I'd
say
that
it's
a
good
film
to
watch
right
now
as,
though
it's
bleak
and
sobering,
it
offers
a
glimmer
of
hope
at
the
end."
Contagion,
starring
Matt
Damon,
Gwyneth
Paltrow,
Jude
Law,
Laurence
Fishburne,
Kate
Winslet,
Marion
Cotillard
and
Jennifer
Ehle,
has
been
trending
on
both,
Amazon
Prime
Video
and
iTunes
for
the
past
few
weeks.
According
to
reports,
the
film
is
also
one
of
the
top
four
most
downloaded
films
on
torrent
sites.
Gwyneth
Paltrow,
last
month
while
travelling
to
Paris
for
the
Fashion
Week,
first
brought
to
light
how
much
the
film
was
similar
to
Coronavirus
pandemic.
In
Contagion,
Paltrow
plays
the
patient
zero
who
brings
the
virus
to
the
US
and
is
the
very
first
leading
cast
member
to
die.