2017 Navy SEAL Film With J.Ok. Simmons Turns into A Streaming Hit On Netflix

Right this moment, the streaming film is a well-established phenomenon. A contemporary analogue of the dreaded direct-to-video movie, streaming films are epitomized by, say, a Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy that takes over Prime Video. Or maybe Cameron Diaz’s first movie in 11 years which, whereas marred by horrible opinions, nonetheless manages to dominate Netflix. So, an motion thriller from the second unit director of “Titanic?” That is absolutely bought Netflix written throughout it.

Apparently sufficient, nevertheless, “Renegades,” from filmmaker Steven Quale (“Ultimate Vacation spot 5”), did get a theatrical launch again in 2017. It wasn’t in the US, but it surely was a theatrical launch nonetheless. Sadly, if you spend the equal of $77.5 million on a movie, you absolutely hope it should make greater than $1.5 million on the field workplace, even when it solely hits theaters in Germany and France. “Renegades” (often known as “American Renegades”) noticed a theatrical debut within the two European nations again in 2017 and located its means stateside through a DVD and Blu-ray launch from Lionsgate. Nevertheless it not solely didn’t make main cash, it was an outright essential failure; “calamity” is the one phrase I can consider that covers it.

So, what’s “Renegades” and why does everybody hate it? It is a movie written by Luc Besson and Richard Wenk a few workforce of Navy SEALs that embark on a mission to retrieve stolen Nazi gold from a sunken metropolis on the backside of a lake. If that sounds just like the type of bombastic actioner that is likely to be so unhealthy it is good, check out its 11% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Hey, no less than it has J.Ok. Simmons in it for some motive.

However wait. Simply as “Renegades” was wanting just like the type of movie that might by no means obtain any type of mainstream recognition, a savior emerges to dredge up the ill-fated motion movie from the gloomy depths of obscurity. Yep, Netflix viewers are watching this factor in droves.

“Renegades” … do you actually wish to know the complete plot to this one? Past Nazi gold and Navy SEALs, there’s little or no else to cowl, however in the event you like the thought of J.Ok. Simmons as a stern Admiral with a penchant for chastising his insubordinate troopers, it has that going for it. Nonetheless, 11% on Rotten Tomatoes … yikes.

However Netflix subscribers apparently cannot get sufficient of Steven Quale’s beforehand unseen movie. In line with FlixPatrol, a website that tracks streaming viewership figures throughout the assorted platforms, the film has truly fared fairly effectively on Netflix, the place it is presently quantity three on the U.S. most-watched movie charts. On February 2, 2025, simply sooner or later after it debuted on the service, it entered the charts within the quantity two spot earlier than slipping all the way down to quantity three a day later. However that also implies that, for a day, it outdid Ralph Fiennes’ delightfully depraved feast, “The Menu,” which on the time of this writing is the primary streaming film on Netflix in the US.

Will “Renegades” be capable to battle its approach to the highest spot? Properly, it will must defeat the inexplicably mighty “Again in Motion.” Cameron Diaz’s disappearance from Hollywood for 11 years was apparently sufficient to make sure her return could be a giant deal, and “Again in Motion” has now been dominating the Netflix charts for a pair weeks. It is presently quantity two on the U.S. rankings, which suggests “Renegades” has its work lower out for it. If the movie can overcome actually abysmal opinions and the attract of Diaz to get the job completed, although, it will likely be a small victory for Quale and no matter European distributor misplaced hundreds of thousands on his film — however a victory nonetheless.