The phantom premiere: Why did Netflix bury Dolph Lundgren’s 'Witcher' spinoff?

Platforms typically leverage established franchises with aggressive marketing campaigns, global press tours, and algorithm-dominating trailers. It is, therefore, a matter of significant industry confusion that Netflix has seemingly "stealth dropped" a feature-length entry in one of its most valuable properties.

In October, without a press release, a trailer, or a notification to subscribers, Netflix released The Rats: A Witcher Tale. The live-action film runs for one hour and 22 minutes and stars veteran action icon Dolph Lundgren. Yet, despite the pedigree of the franchise and the involvement of a recognizable Hollywood name, the film’s existence remains virtually unknown to the general public and even devoted fans of The Witcher series.

A strategic anomaly

The discovery of the film was not driven by Netflix’s recommendation engine, but rather by diligent observers scanning the platform’s library. The Rats: A Witcher Tale functions as a narrative prequel intended to bridge the gap leading into the upcoming fourth season of the mainline series. It focuses on "The Rats," a band of teenage renegades who play a pivotal role in the source material written by Andrzej Sapkowski.

The complete absence of promotional material is unprecedented for a project of this scale. A review of Netflix’s official marketing channels reveals a total blackout. The streaming giant’s primary YouTube channel, which commands over 32 million subscribers, hosts no teaser or trailer for the film. Furthermore, standard industry protocols—such as distributing press kits to major entertainment trade publications like Variety, Deadline, or The Hollywood Reporter—appear to have been bypassed entirely.

Media analysts have noted that even in cases where a studio lacks confidence in a project, a minimal promotional effort is usually maintained to recoup production costs through viewership metrics. The decision to release a franchise installment featuring a star like Dolph Lundgren with absolutely no fanfare suggests a deliberate strategy to minimize the title's footprint.

The lundgren factor and production value

While Dolph Lundgren may not currently command the box-office draw of former Witcher lead Henry Cavill or his successor Liam Hemsworth, he remains a significant figure in the action genre. His casting in the Witcher universe would typically be considered a marketable asset, capable of drawing in casual viewers curious to see the Rocky IV and Universal Soldier star in a high-fantasy setting.

The production itself is not a short film or a "behind-the-scenes" featurette; it is a full narrative feature. The allocation of budget required to film, edit, and post-produce an 82-minute live-action movie is substantial. For a publicly traded company focused on engagement hours and subscriber retention, burying such an asset contradicts standard business logic.

Critical reception in a vacuum

The consequences of this "shadow release" are evident in the film's reception metrics. As a direct result of the lack of awareness, the film has failed to generate critical discourse. As of late December, The Rats: A Witcher Tale lists only a single critic review on the aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. While that solitary review is technically positive, it stands in stark contrast to the hundreds of reviews typically garnered by franchise releases.

Audience engagement paints a bleaker picture. The few viewers who stumbled upon the title independently have rated it poorly, resulting in an audience score of just 17%. This negative reception may offer a clue regarding Netflix’s strategy: if internal testing suggested the film was below the quality threshold expected for the brand, the streamer may have opted to release it quietly to fulfill contractual obligations without tarnishing the broader Witcher IP ahead of Season 4.

A turbulent time for the franchise

This quiet release comes at a precarious time for The Witcher universe on Netflix. The franchise is currently undergoing a massive transition following the departure of Henry Cavill and the mixed reception of the previous spin-off, The Witcher: Blood Origin.

With Season 4 slated to introduce Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia, the brand is under intense scrutiny. Industry speculation suggests that Netflix executives are currently prioritizing quality control to retain the series' core audience. In this context, The Rats: A Witcher Tale may have been viewed as a liability—a remnant of a previous content strategy that no longer aligns with the studio's direction.

For now, the film remains on the platform, a ghost in the machine. It serves as a rare example of a major studio producing a finished film within a billion-dollar franchise, only to treat its release with the silence usually reserved for a cancellation. Whether this strategy protects the brand or merely confuses the consumer base remains to be seen.