Prime Video's hit Reacher series, Lee Child's popular novel series was adapted into two movies starring Tom Cruise as the title character. After the success of the first movie in 2012, director Edward Zwick's Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was released in 2016, following Cruise's character as he attempts to prove the innocence of Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), a figure from his past.

New data shared by THR now reveals that Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was the most-watched movie on streaming for the week of July 29 – August 4. The Cruise sequel, which is streaming on Netflix, boasts 697 million minutes viewed during this period, beating the likes of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (560M) on Hulu, Trolls Band Together (506M), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (476M), and Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (414M), the last three of which are streaming on Netflix.

Did Tom Cruise Deserve Another Shot At Jack Reacher?

Why The Lee Child Adaptations Are Popular On Streaming

2012's Jack Reacher was directed by Christopher McQuarrie, a frequent Cruise collaborator and the director of the three most recent Mission: Impossible movies. By most s, this first movie was a success. Jack Reacher has a 64% critics' score and 67% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it ended up grossing $212.3 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. The sequel, however, didn't fare as well.

Cruise and McQuarrie's next collaboration is 2025's Mission: Impossible 8.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back has a 38% critics score and 42% audience score, a notable drop. The box office dipped as well and came in at only $162.1 million worldwide on a $60 million budget, indicating a clear loss of interest from general movie-goers. And yet, despite the positive reviews for Reacher and the show's widespread success, Cruise's two movie adaptations continue to be hits on streaming, with Jack Reacher: Never Go Back first topping Netflix's charts back in September 2023.

A number of factors could for the two Jack Reacher movies' rise in popularity over the past year, but a major one is probably that Cruise's face on the tile for a mid-budget action movie is a draw for many Netflix s. The success of the Reacher show, too, has probably encouraged viewers to check out this previous incarnation of the character. A potential Jack Reacher 3, however, is very unlikely at this point given that Cruise has seemingly moved on from the franchise. For now, viewers can continue to enjoy Jack Reacher: Never Go Back on Netflix.

Source: THR