At present, 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 received Netflix written throughout it.
Apparently sufficient, nevertheless, “Renegades,” from filmmaker Steven Quale (“Remaining Vacation spot 5”), did get a theatrical launch again in 2017. It wasn’t in the US, however it was a theatrical launch nonetheless. Sadly, once you spend the equal of $77.5 million on a movie, you absolutely hope it is going to 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 international locations again in 2017 and located its method stateside by way of a DVD and Blu-ray launch from Lionsgate. But it surely not solely didn’t make main cash, it was an outright important 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 may be so unhealthy it is good, check out its 11% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Hey, not less than it has J.Okay. Simmons in it for some motive.
However wait. Simply as “Renegades” was trying just like the type of movie that may 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 storms the Netflix charts
“Renegades” … do you actually wish to know the total plot to this one? Past Nazi gold and Navy SEALs, there’s little or no else to cowl, however in case you like the thought of J.Okay. 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 accordance with FlixPatrol, a web site that tracks streaming viewership figures throughout the varied platforms, the film has really fared fairly effectively on Netflix, the place it is at present quantity three on the U.S. most-watched movie charts. On February 2, 2025, simply someday 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 signifies 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 of battle its strategy to the highest spot? Properly, it’s going to should 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 at present quantity two on the U.S. rankings, which suggests “Renegades” has its work minimize 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.