Right now, 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 film in 11 years which, while marred by terrible reviews, still manages to dominate Netflix. So, an motion thriller from the second unit director of “Titanic?” That is certainly bought 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 USA, nevertheless it was a theatrical launch nonetheless. Sadly, once you spend the equal of $77.5 million on a movie, you certainly 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” (also called “American Renegades”) noticed a theatrical debut within the two European international locations again in 2017 and located its approach stateside by way of a DVD and Blu-ray launch from Lionsgate. But it surely not solely did not make main cash, it was an outright vital 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 group 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 sort 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.Ok. Simmons in it for some purpose.
However wait. Simply as “Renegades” was trying just like the sort of movie that will by no means obtain any sort 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 should you like the concept 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 keeping with FlixPatrol, a website that tracks streaming viewership figures throughout the varied platforms, the film has truly fared fairly properly on Netflix, the place it is at the moment 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 right down to quantity three a day later. However that also implies that, for a day, it outdid Ralph Fiennes’ delightfully wicked feast, “The Menu,” which on the time of this writing is the primary streaming film on Netflix in the USA.
Will “Renegades” be capable of battle its method to the highest spot? Nicely, it’s going to need to defeat the inexplicably mighty “Again in Motion.” Cameron Diaz’s disappearance from Hollywood for 11 years was apparently sufficient to make sure her return can be a giant deal, and “Again in Motion” has now been dominating the Netflix charts for a pair weeks. It is at the moment quantity two on the U.S. rankings, which suggests “Renegades” has its work lower out for it. If the movie can overcome really abysmal critiques and the attract of Diaz to get the job achieved, although, it is going to be a small victory for Quale and no matter European distributor misplaced hundreds of thousands on his film — however a victory nonetheless.
