The most popular movie on Netflix right now is a new, pulse-pounding thriller that’s been lavished with praise and viewed over 31,000,000 times.
Action movie Rebel Ridge, which has received glowing reviews from critics, has pulled in whopping numbers after less than a week on the platform, generating a lot of buzz among fans.
Helmed by filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room), Rebel Ridge stars Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond, a former Marine who comes up against a corrupt US police chief when he attempts to bail his innocent cousin out of jail.
Hollywood star Don Johnson plays his adversary, Chief Sandy Burnne, with AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen and James Cromwell also in the cast.
Rebel Ridge, which has been branded ‘superb’ and an ‘edge-of-your-seat thriller’, is now a certified smash hit on Netflix after it was revealed that it had accrued a massive 31,200,000 views between Friday – its first day streaming – and the end of Sunday.
An eye-popping 68,600,000 hours’ worth of Rebel Ridge was watched by Netflix subscribers, with the platform working out the views after dividing by its two hour 12 minute runtime.
That puts it ahead of major releases such as Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon franchise on the platform, with Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver clocking in 10,000,000 fewer views in the same time frame in April with 21,400,000.
It was also nearly 10,000,000 views clear of its closest rival this week, according to Netflix’s viewing data as released on Tudum’s global Top 10, with Rebel Ridge in top spot and Lee Daniels’ headline-grabbing new horror film The Deliverance coming in second on 21,800,000.
To add to Rebel Ridge’s glowing list of achievements, its star Pierre revealed that the new movie had actually soared to occupy the top spot in over 70 countries – including the UK.
‘#1 on Netflix in 71 different countries! Wow. My heart is full,’ posted the British actor, 30, on Instagram.
‘This would not have been possible without YOU. This is a team triumph. Thank you all for the love and beautiful energy,’ he continued. ‘Thank you to everyone who poured themselves into the making of REBEL RIDGE. Abundantly grateful. Big love.’
According to review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Rebel Ridge is not one to miss either as 74 critics’ opinions have resulted in it being given an incredible 95% score on the Tomatometer.
‘Rebel Ridge, which checks all the boxes any thriller aficionado could possibly want, and then some,’ praises Mashable’s review, while The Scotsman calls it ‘bravura filmmaking: smart, slick, muscular – and entertaining as hell’.
‘Definitely don’t see this if you hate movies that kick ass,’ joked another critic, while fans have described it as ‘amazing’.
‘I loved every minute of it,’ enthused Corbin S, who also compared it to Rambo movie First Blood.
‘Measured, confident, and blessed with fantastic performances, this is a superb new film from the ever-reliable Saulnier,’ added Flicks’ review.
While Aaron Pierre has been dubbed ‘a star’ thanks to his career-making performance, Revel Ridge was almost very different as John Boyega was initially cast as Terry Richmond.
However, the Star Wars actor, 32, was forced to quit the production in 2021, citing ‘family reasons’.
Despite the stress this put on the movie behind the scenes, filmmaker Saulnier has now explained that it was the ‘right situation’ looking back, as it led Pierre to the role he was clearly destined to play.
‘When John left the film, it was inevitable and out of respect for all parties involved; I can’t get into the details of it,’ he told Vulture. ‘But every party would agree, it was the right situation. It had to be that way. And I was willing to risk the movie unless I found the one and only true Terry Richmond.
‘The search was insanely short, because within weeks, I had a Zoom call in Louisiana with Aaron Pierre, and I knew in less than two minutes that this is the guy. We had a very deep conversation. We were at this perfect crossroads, his career, my career.’
Saulnier described Pierre’s ‘interest and investment and dedication’ in Rebel Ridge as ‘uplifting’ and said it ‘immediately reenergised’ him.
The director opted to wait for a year to deal with what he called a ‘big reset’.
‘Netflix was insanely supportive of giving Aaron the opportunity. And no one who’s seen the film can imagine a version of this without Aaron Pierre,’ he added.
Rebel Ridge is streaming now exclusively on Netflix.
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