Rebel Ridge has become a global Netflix hit. Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, who previously directed the Netflix movie Hold the Dark, the recently released crime thriller follows Aaron Pierre’s character Terry Richmond, an ex-marine officer who finds himself embroiled in a web of small-town corruption after an attempt to post bail for his incarcerated cousin escalates into a showdown. Aside from Pierre, the Rebel Ridge cast includes Emory Cohen, Don Johnson, David Denman, AnnaSophia Robb, and Steve Zissis.

Now, the new Netflix thriller has become a global hit on the streaming service. Rebel Ridge comes in at the top of Netflix's Global Top 10 chart for the week of September 2–September 8. The crime thriller has amassed over 31 million since its release on the streamer, beating other recent entries like Lee Daniels’ The Deliverance and The Union.

Rebel Ridge Has The Potential To Kick Off A Successful Action Franchise For Netflix

The Movie is Also A Critical Hit

Following the recent release of Rebel Ridge, the movie has garnered hugely positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Rebel Ridge boasts a 94% approval rating, with most critics praising the movie for its nuanced and profound take on corruption, power, and morality in America, as well as Pierre’s outstanding performance that earmarks him as a star in the making.

The great reception that Rebel Ridge has received will surely have Netflix thinking of capitalizing on the movie’s success to create a franchise. In the past, Netflix has produced similar action thrillers that have failed to make much of an impression.

For instance, F. Gary Gray’s Lift, which was released earlier in the year, brought together talented names like Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Vincent D'Onofrio most likely in the hopes of kick-starting something big and long-term, but the poor reception that the movie received means it will likely remain a disappointing one-off. Rebel Ridge has all the ingredients to become a successful franchise for Netflix.

Rebel Ridge has all the ingredients to become a successful franchise for Netflix.

Even though John Boyega was originally cast to play Terry Richmond, Pierre replaced the 32-year-old and proved he has the charisma and acting chops to lead a movie of this magnitude and potentially a franchise. Also, while Rebel Ridge isn’t too dissimilar from other movies in the same genre, it offers something much more thoughtful and refreshing, which could also help its chances going forward.

Source: Netflix