Forgotten Pedro Pascal movie with shocking Rotten Tomatoes score climbs Netflix chart
Universal PicturesA forgotten movie starring Pedro Pascal received a terrible Rotten Tomatoes score when it first dropped, but now the flick is enjoying a new lease of life as it climbs the Netflix top 10 chart.
We’ve seen it time and again — movies that tanked on their initial release, only to enjoy success when they drop on Netflix. It’s what made Samuel L. Jackson’s Unthinkable go from a box office flop to a streaming hit, or the critically panned Mel Gibson flick On the Line race up the top 10 chart.
What do these movies often have in common? Big names leading the cast. And now the same situation is unfolding with the 2016 movie The Great Wall, starring The Last of Us icon Pedro Pascal and Bourne actor Matt Damon.
Since dropping on the streaming service on Wednesday (May 1), Zhang Yimou’s monster flick has already raced to third place on the chart. You can check out the full list as it currently stands below:
- Anyone But You
- The Judge
- The Great Wall
- Blended
- Miller’s Girl
- Girls Trip
- Smurfs: The Lost Village
- Mortal Kombat
- The Equalizer
- Hellboy
The Great Wall’s success is in spite of its Rotten Tomatoes score, having earned just 35% from the critics and 42% from audiences, with many citing that the flick feels empty.
“Aside from the nods to Chinese culture, there is little to differentiate between this and any other Hollywood action adventure,” said The Guardian. Or, as IndieWire bluntly put it, “It’s not Hollywood whitewashing, it’s just an awful movie.”
Set in ancient China, the story itself revolves around a group of mercenaries who travel to the country in search of gunpowder, only to get caught up in the defense of the Great Wall against a horde of monstrous creatures. Alongside Pascal and Damon, the cast includes Jing Tian, Willem Dafoe, and Andy Lau.
Despite its Rotten Tomatoes score, The Great Wall has clearly caught viewers’ attention. While acknowledging its weaknesses, one viewer wrote on X, “It’s good for a laugh.” Another admitted, “Watching The Great Wall solely because Pedro Pascal is in it lol.”
For more big screen titles, check out the best new movies heading to streaming this month, as well as new flicks to watch in May.