“Brutal” underrated martial arts movie hits Netflix chart
Sony PicturesNetflix users are raving about an overlooked 2009 martial arts flick that just hit the platform’s top 10 most-watched movies list.
Of course, films earning a second lease on life via Netflix is nothing new. In January 2024 alone, several box office flops cracked the streaming giant’s top 10.
Notably, 2016’s The Legend of Tarzan claimed the number one slot for two days straight. This stands in stark contrast to the flick’s lukewarm reviews and underwhelming ticket sales.
Similarly, poorly received high-concept Western Cowboys & Aliens galloped into number nine – a spot it still holds today.
“Brutal” underrated martial arts movie hits Netflix chart
And now another underdog movie has punched its way to the Netflix big time: Blood and Bone. Headlined by veteran actor and martial artist Michael White, Blood and Bone follows the exploits of an ex-con in LA’s underground fighting scene.
Blood and Bone was originally released straight-to-DVD, which means its Netflix run is likely the first time many subscribers have encountered it. This novelty no doubt helped propel the film to an entry-level slot on Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched movies in the US chart.
Positive word-of-mouth probably didn’t hurt, either; Blood and Bone currently holds a 71% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Several positive reviews are also floating around online, including a glowing IGN write-up that praises Blood and Bone’s “brutal and exciting” action scenes.
The rest of the Netflix Top 10 chart breaks down as follows:
- The Hill
- Dumb Money
- The Legend of Tarzan
- Lift
- Queenpins
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Queen Bees
- Escape Plan: The Extractors
- Cowboys & Aliens
- Blood and Bone
Netflix fights off recent wave of bad press
Funnily enough, Blood and Bone’s fictional brawls mirror the real-life clashes between Netflix and its subscriber base in recent weeks. The streaming giant came under fire on January 24 for axing Halle Berry’s sci-fi thriller Mothership despite it wrapping filming.
That same day, Netflix also earned subscribers’ ire by hinting that a price hike was on the way. Many of the platform’s users attributed the possible cost increase to Netflix’s new $5 billion deal with the WWE and chastised the streamer for forcing them to foot the bill.
