Two Unexpected Movies Are Taking Over Netflix

Ever since the Netflix Top 10 lists were introduced earlier this year, they’ve been dominated by Netflix original titles and new release films. The likes of The Angry Birds Movie 2, Freaks, Tiger King, and Love Is Blind have remained staples of the Top 10 over the last couple of months. However, there’s another trend in the Top 10 that has become even more noticeable as of late. Obscure action movies that you may have never heard of are starting to appear high on the list, and there’s no real explanation as to why.

Right now, the #1 movie on the Netflix Top 10 is a film called Blood Father, a chase thriller starring Mel Gibson. The movie originally came out in 2016 and barely made a splash at the box office, despite overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. No one paid attention to Blood Father four years ago when it was released, but it’s now getting a second chance at life thanks to its Netflix release.

Blood Father is the sixth most popular title on Netflix, behind only Tiger King, Ozark, All American, Nailed It, and How to Fix a Drug Scandal — all of which are TV shows. A ton of people are currently watching the film, likely because they never heard of it before and are checking it out for the first time. If you aren’t familiar with it, Blood Father is about an ex-criminal (Gibson) who helps his estranged daughter shake off a group of drug dealers.

Surprisingly, Blood Father isn’t the only obscure action film getting recognized on Netflix. The fourth most popular film on Netflix is a Western from last year called Badland, which stars Kevin Makely, Bruce Dern, and Mina Sorvino. Unlike Blood Father, there aren’t big stars or glowing reviews to draw people Badland. It got released in limited theaters and on-demand last year without a second thought. However, now that it’s a newly-released western on Netflix, everyone is paying attention.

Maybe Netflix users just really like action movies, especially those that they’ve never heard of. There’s really no other way to explain the unprecedented streaming success of these films. Popular movies like Minority Report and The Matrix were recently added to the streaming service, but they’re nowhere to be found on the Top 10 list. It seems like people want to watch something that’s new to them, even if it’s already a couple of years old.

What have you been watching on Netflix? Let us know in the comments!