This Surprising Sci-Fi Film Is a Streaming Success

It’s often hard to get the general public to come out and see non-sequel sci-fi cinema on the big screen. The various sci-fi Marvel Studios titles and the Avatar features have made truckloads of money, but they have Marvel and James Cameron on their respective posters to help get people into the theater. History is littered with countless sci-fi tentpoles that underperformed, like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, John Carter, Titan A.E., Battlefield Earth, the original Blade Runner, and so many more. These worlds of blasters and robots can sometimes seem too impenetrable or “geeky” for mainstream tastes.

Sometimes, though, these projects catch on in less financially demanding confines, like home video or streaming. In the eight years since its release, Luc Besson’s box office dud Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets didn’t seem to be catching on in such a fashion. Memes or notable instances of cosplay centered on the feature were few and far between. Perhaps now, though, that tide is turning. As of this writing, Valerian is the fifth-most popular movie on Max, despite no external circumstances or promotion pushing people to watch it.

What is Valerian?

Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières’ French comic series Valérian and Laureline began in 1967, and subsequently secured a massive fan base in its home country thanks to its distinctive drawings and exciting sci-fi adventure yarns. Among those who devoured every piece of media related to this property was eventual filmmaker Luc Besson. Traces of Valérian and Laureline‘s influence even inspired his passion for the oddball 1997 sci-fi feature The Fifth Element. Decades later, he pursued making a proper adaptation of this comic, complete with a staggering $177 million budget.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, the resulting film adaptation, follows cosmic police officers Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne). Their exploits and orders take them to Alpha, a gargantuan city home to thousands of different alien species — all with their own bustling cultures. As they navigate this city, it turns out not everything is what it seems on this planet. There’s a greater conspiracy afoot involving people Valerian and Laureline thought they could trust, as well as the extra-terrestrial mythic Emperor Haban Limaï (Elizabeth Debicki).

Beyond America’s unfamiliarity with its source material, there are many factors that make it obvious why Valerian didn’t connect with American audiences back in 2017. For one thing, it opened in July 2017 on the same day as Dunkirk and one week after War for the Planet of the Apes. Moviegoers in this territory had so many other options available to them building on pre-existing entities with large followings (Christopher Nolan’s reputation, the Planet of the Apes franchise).

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For another, at the time, Valerian’s leads were either largely unknown or connected to tepidly received comic book cinema like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Suicide Squad. Toss in mixed reviews, and, of course, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets never came close to making its budget back.

Why is Valerian Getting So Much Viewership Now?

One key reason for why Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets may be taking off now seemingly so randomly years later could be that DeHaan is currently headlining a hit Netflix show. The 2025 program American Primeval features him among other stars, and audiences may now be curious to check out other productions anchored by this actor. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets certainly qualifies as the most high-profile and elaborate production that DeHaan ever headlined. The rising American Primeval tide may just be lifting Valerian to heights of notoriety once thought impossible for this title.

However, a more important factor may simply be that an original audacious sci-fi movie like Valerian is more appealing to people in the less demanding confines of streaming than in theaters. Properties that certain individuals wouldn’t pay $10 to see on the big screen may be just the thing to watch on a Saturday afternoon when you have time to kill. In these circumstances, people could be more willing to explore a sci-fi film that isn’t attached to familiar names like Nolan, Cameron, or Marvel.

Whatever the reason is for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets suddenly finding some success on Max, perhaps now this Besson feature will dazzle audiences the same way those original comics captivated the director decades ago.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is now streaming on Max.