Walhberg went on to receive further critical acclaim for his performances in The Departed and The Fighter, while also venturing into big-budget action moves such as The Perfect Storm, Planet of the Apes, The Italian Job, and Transformers. However, in recent years, Wahlberg has focused more on comedies, including The Other Guys, Ted, and Daddy's Home.

Gibson, on the other hand, started his career as an action hero with his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three Mad Max movies, followed by Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon movies. From there, Gibson starred in and directed Braveheart, winning an Academy Award for Best Director, and though his career later declined due to several controversial statements, he saw a resurgence with Hacksaw Ridge, receiving another Oscar nod for Best Director. Over their careers, Wahlberg and Gibson have starred alongside each other twice in Daddy's Home 2 and Father Stu.

Daddy's Home 2 Becomes A Global Netflix Hit

It Ranks 5th In The Top 10

Daddy's Home 2 has become a global Netflix hit seven years after its release. A sequel to 2015's Daddy's Home, the Christmas buddy comedy follows Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell's now-reformed fathers who, while co-parenting their kids, must deal with their own fathers (played by Mel Gibson and John Lithgow) visiting for the holidays. The cast also includes Linda Cardellini, John Cena, and Bill Burr.

Now, seven years after it hit theaters, Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson's poorly-reviewed holiday movie has become a global Netflix hit. Daddy's Home 2 ranks fifth on Netflix's Global Top 10 films (English) for the week of November 25 to December 1 with 5.3 million views and 9 million hours viewed. It ranked below the fellow Christmas films Our Little Secret and The Merry Gentlemen and above Hot Frosty for the week. Daddy's Home 2 is in the Top 10 films in 45 countries on Netflix. Check out the full top 10 list below:

Daddy's Home 2 isn't available on Netflix in the United States, though it is streaming on Paramount+ and for free on Pluto TV.

What Daddy's Home 2's Netflix Success Means For The Movie

Will Daddy's Home 3 Happen?

Though Daddy's Home 2 may be connecting with viewers on Netflix, it doesn't mean that a Daddy's Home 3 will be getting the green light. Despite not faring well with critics, the first film was a major box office success, grossing $242 million on a $69 million budget. The sequel, while still technically a success at the box office, saw results that suggest audience interest in the premise and the franchise had waned.

Daddy's Home 2's budget is also estimated to be about $69 million, but it didn't match its predecessor's box office. The sequel grossed $180 million worldwide, a fairly steep drop from the original. At that budget level, the film was probably looking at a break-even point of between $138 million and $172.5 million. If Daddy's Home 3 did move forward, it would likely have to be made at a lower budget level to accommodate for the falling success at the box office, but actor salaries tend to go up for each successive movie in a franchise, not down.

The landscape for theatrical comedy movies is grim these days, and most entries in the genre are now streaming releases. A notable exception is 2023's Anyone But You, which released in theaters and was a major success.

Financial considerations are a key reason why Daddy's Home 3 won't get made, but there are creative considerations as well. The premise of the first film is about a stepfather and a biological father butting heads, and the sequel expands this by introducing grandparents into the mix. It's not immediately clear how this premise could be further expanded without wearing itself thin.

Our Take On Daddy's Home 2's Netflix Success

There Are Much Better Christmas Movies To Watch

Much like its predecessor in 2015, Daddy's Home 2 was poorly reviewed for following a predictable comedic formula that fails to deliver much holiday cheer, managing only a few scattered laughs from its otherwise talented cast. Though the movie made over $180 million at the box office, it's curious why so many are revisiting it on Netflix seven years later, propelling it into the Global Top 10.

The audience score certainly doesn't suggest that the movie is a crowd-pleaser, but festive Christmas movies do sometimes become popular not because they're good, but because of their holiday settings and a comfort factor.

On better Christmas movies to watch this time of year, and other Wahlberg and Gibson movies that better utilize their talents.

Source: Netflix

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  Mark Wahlberg

  Discover the latest news and filmography for Mark Wahlberg, known for The Departed and Transformers: Age of Extinction.

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  Mel Gibson

  Based on the story "The Flying Bandit" by Robert Knuckle, based on the real-life Canadian thief, BANDIT stars Josh Duhamel as Gilbert Galvan Jr. - the criminal mastermind behind the story. Gilbert escapes from a Michigan prison and sets off to live in Canada, successfully robbing 59 banks with ease. Gilbert is a master of disguise and is excellent at what he does, but when he meets Elisha Cuthbert's Andrea, his world changes. With his relationship potentially in jeopardy with every new heist, Gilbert is presented with one last job to hit before he steps out of the game. However, with a detective named John Snydes (Nestor Carbonell) hot on his trail, Gilbert will have to keep his wits about him to stay ahead of his pursuer. 
  
  BANDIT's cast is rounded out by Mel Gibson as Tommy K. a legend in his own right in the film whom Josh Duhamel's character will seek out for investment purposes. The film marks the third directorial effort from Allan Ungar and was a challenging endeavor, as major Canadian cities had to be recreated in modern-day Georgia.

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