Will Smith Action Movie Is a Hit on Netflix, But US Viewers Can't Watch It
Will Smith has a spot on Netflix's weekly Top 10 global chart, thanks to his 2019 action movie Gemini Man. However, U.S. subscribers had nothing to do with the film's success on the streamer because it is not available to stream domestically. The number one movie on the chart is Netflix's original movie The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds.
During the week of March 14-20, Gemini Man logged 11.84 million hours viewed by Netflix subscribers. That put it at number three on the Top 10 global chart, just ahead of Liam Neeson's The Ice Road, which had 11.65 million hours viewed. The Adam Project easily topped the chart with 85.36 million hours viewed, ahead of Rescued by Ruby, which had 19.94 million hours viewed in its first week on the chart. The Weekend Away, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Windfall, Shrek, Shrek 2, and A Madea Homecoming is also on the global Top 10.
The U.S. Top 10 looks a little different. The Adam Project is still at number one, but Neeson's A Walk Among the Tombstones is at number two. Black Crab, Rescued by Ruby, Shrek, Shrek 2, London Has Fallen, A Madea Homecoming, Despicable Me 2, and Windfall round out the Top 10.
Since licensing agreements can differ from region to region, Gemini Man is not available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. It's not available anywhere with a simple subscription. Instead, Smith fans will have to buy or rent it from digital retailers. Gemini Man is also available on Blu-ray, 4K UltraHD, and DVD.
Gemini Man was written by Billy Ray, Darren Lemke, and Game of Thrones vet David Benioff and directed by two-time Oscar-winner Ang Lee. It stars Smith as Henry Brogan; a former Marine sniper sent on a mission to assassinate a bio-terrorist. During the mission, he runs into Jackson Brogan, a younger, cloned version of himself. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, and Benedict Wong also star in the action thriller.
The movie grossed $173.5 million worldwide but was considered a box office bomb because it cost $138 million to make. Gemini Man also did not do well with critics. The movie holds a 26% fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it has an 83% audience score.
Smith's latest movie, King Richard, has done much better with critics and audiences. He plays Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, and the film tracks his unconventional methods for turning his daughters into icons. Smith is widely expected to win the Best Actor Oscar for his performance. The movie was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Aunjanue Ellis, Best film Editing, and Best Original Song for "Be Alive" by Beyonce and Dixson. King Richard is available to stream on HBO Max.