After struggling at the box office during its theatrical run, director Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 is finally finding an audience on streaming. Recently, the sci-fi film, which stars Robert Pattinson, was added to the HBO Max streaming library. The streaming service’s subscribers have been eager to check it out. According to data gathered by FlixPatrol, Mickey 17 has been a massive hit. On the worldwide chart, it is the most-watched film on HBO Max by a considerable margin. In terms of viewership, Mickey 17 has a huge lead on Final Destination, which came in a very distant second as viewers rewatch the horror franchise following Final Destination Bloodlines.
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Mickey 17 made its HBO Max debut on Friday, May 23rd, a little over two months after it premiered in theaters. Though the film finished in first place at the box office during its opening weekend, Mickey 17 ultimately went down as a commercial bomb. Budgeted at $118 million, it grossed only $132 million worldwide. Prior to hitting HBO Max, Mickey 17 was also made available on digital platforms and Blu-ray.
The underwhelming box office performance of Mickey 17 is not indicative of the film’s quality. Bong Joon-ho’s first film since Best Picture winner Parasite, Mickey 17 earned largely positive reviews. Pattinson in particular earned a significant amount of praise for his performance that saw him portray multiple versions of the same character. In the film, Pattinson’s Mickey is an “expendable” who is tasked with embarking on dangerous missions that frequently end with his death. Each time Mickey dies, his body reprinted so he can continue working on thankless tasks that put him in harm’s way.
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The main conflict in Mickey 17 arises when two copies of Mickey are accidentally alive at the same time. They have to fight for their lives while the villainous Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) hunts down the multiples.
If you missed Mickey 17 in theaters, the film is well worth checking out on streaming. It’s an entertaining blend of high-concept genre fare, dark humor, and social commentary, anchored by one of the best performances of Pattinson’s career. Anyone who is a fan of Parasite or one of Bong Joon-ho’s other films will definitely find something to enjoy in Mickey 17. It’s well within the filmmaker’s wheelhouse, telling an entertaining story that’s also thought provoking. Even if Mickey 17 doesn’t reach the same heights as Parasite, it’s still a very unique offering that stands out from most big-budget titles on the market.
Warner Bros. took a risk when it gave Mickey 17 the green light, and while the studio wasn’t rewarded with record-breaking box office profits, the gamble paid off from a creative perspective. In an era dominated by massive IP, it was nice to see a big studio take a chance on something like Mickey 17, giving an acclaimed director an opportunity to realize his distinct vision. Sci-fi is a realm to tell some truly captivating stories that tap into the human condition, and Mickey 17 is a great example of that. It’s a shame the film struggled at the box office, but at least it’s gotten a second lease on life now.
Will you be checking out Mickey 17 on HBO Max? Let us know in the comments!
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Image courtesy of Warner
