Summary
One of Liam Neeson’s most notorious bombs is finding new life onNetflix. Could this mostly forgotten, completely rotten epic have cult status awaiting in the future?
The early 2010s were a different time in Hollywood filmmaking.Netflixwas nowhere near the behemoth it is now and hadn’t inspired seemingly every company under the sun to create their own streaming services yet. As such, Tinseltown production studios were still takingbig swings with massively budgeted blockbusterseach year. Let’s put it this way: films like the Angelina Jolie-starringSalt, the megaflopCowboys & Aliens, and the oft-forgottenReal Steelsimply don’t get made anymore. If they do manage to fight against the tide and find a way into production, they almost always end up going straight to streaming. Hollywood studios are more risk-averse than they have ever been, thanks to the fallout following the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the theatrical model. Still, failing at the box office back then doesn’t mean you can’t find a second life now, and one Liam Neeson flick is proving that at the moment.
According to Netflix’s own internal streaming numbers,2012’sWrath of the Titanswas somehow the sixth-highest streamed film on the service last week. More than 3.2 million views in a single weekfor a movie that no one has given a second thought to for more than a decade. For context,Wrath of the Titansearned about the same number of streams as the recently released Netflix Original FilmNonnasand outdid other Top 10 films likeAquaman and the Lost Kingdom,Now You See Me 2, andThe Wild Robotin the same timeframe.It just goes to show that no one ever has any idea what is going to be popular from one week to the next.
of Views
1.STRAW
25.3 million
4.9 million
4.8 million
4.M3GAN
3.8 million
3.2 million
6.Wrath of the Titans
7.Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom
3 million
2.9 million
2.6 million
2.5 million
Wrath of the Titans Is Finding New Life On Netflix More Than A Decade After Flopping At The Box Office
2012’sWrath of the Titansis a direct sequel to 2010’sClash of the Titans. The first film is a remake of thecampy 1981 film of the same namethat tells an iteration of the Greek myth of Perseus. It stars Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson and grossed nearly $500 million worldwide. As one would expect, a sequel was quick to follow. Not every film is able to bring in nearly half a billion dollars, you know. Alas,Wrath of the Titanscould’ve apparently used more time in the oven as it performed worse both with critics and audiences at the time. So why are people flocking to it now?
First of all,Wrath of the Titanscontinues the trend of having an absolutely incredible cast. In addition to Worthington, Neeson, and Fiennes returning as Perseus, Zeus, and Hades, there are numerous beloved stars as well.Rosamund Piketakes over for Alexa Davalos as Andromeda, Bill Nighy stars as Hephaestus, and Toby Kebbell, Danny Huston, Édgar Ramírez, and Lily James all join the proceedings this time around. Secondly, the unending popularity of the Greek gods has to be playing a role here. These stories have been around for thousands and thousands of years. There is a timeless appeal to Greek myth that has them still being studied and taught in schools to this very day.
Whatever the case may be, it is wild to seeWrath of the Titansclimb the streaming charts all these years after it failed at the box office. Such is the power ofNetflix.
