Liam Neeson's New Netflix Movie Isn't Available for Everyone — Here's Why
Fans clamoring to see Liam Neeson's new film The Ice Road may find themselves out of luck. The [...]
Fans clamoring to see Liam Neeson's new film The Ice Road may find themselves out of luck. The Jonathan Hensleigh-directed thriller officially dropped on Netflix on Friday, June 25, though some Netflix subscribers attempting to enjoy a movie night found that The Ice Road was not available for streaming. This is because the film is currently only available in the United States.
Although The Ice Road is tagged as a Netflix original film, the streaming giant did not produce it. When The Hollywood Reporter first reported that the Neeson-starring film was headed to the streamer in November 2019, the outlet noted that Solution Entertainment Group was selling the project internationally. Netflix snagged the exclusive distribution rights in the United States in what Deadline said was a record-breaking $18 million streaming deal. This means that the streamer can only show the movie in the U.S. However, the film is still set to be made available in other countries, as well, though not via Netflix. Sales were also struck in France, Scandinavia and Iceland, Latin America, Japan, Thailand, Eastern Europe, and several other locals.
The Ice Road stars Neeson as Mike, a big-rig ice road driver who leads an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean after a remote diamond mine collapses in Canada, leaving miners trapped. The mission is not easy, though, and Mike and his crew contend with thawing waters and a massive storm. In addition to Neeson, the film also stars Laurence Fishburne, Ray McKinnon, Benjamin Walker, Amber Midthunder, and Marcus Thomas. It was written and directed by Hensleigh, who is most well-known for writing a number of classic '90s movies such as Die Hard with a Vengeance and Armageddon.
In the days since its debut, the film has mostly fallen flat among critics and viewers. Currently, The Ice Road has just a 42% Tomatometer score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It has done even poorer among the audience, which has given it just a 38% audience score.
The Ice Road is currently available for streaming on Netflix in the U.S. What's On Netflix notes that those outside of the U.S. can use a service like JustWatch.com to see where The Ice Road will be available for viewing in your region.