Gene Hackman's $80M Penultimate Movie Lands On Netflix's Global Chart 22 Years Later

One of the last movies of the late Gene Hackman has entered the Netflix Top 10 Global Movies chart 22 years after its initial release. Hackman was one of the most revered and successful actors in movie history, and enjoyed a strong filmography, which included a diverse mix of both blockbusters and character-driven dramas. He shot to prominence with early roles in movies like Bonnie and Clyde and I Never Sang For My Father before achieving global recognition and leading man status with the role of Popeye Doyle in William Friedkin’s crime thriller The French Connection.

Hackman won an Oscar for his performance and reprised his role in the follow-up The French Connection II. He then went on to star in a number of successful and critically acclaimed box office hits, including Superman, Superman II, Mississippi Burning, and Unforgiven, for which he won his second Oscar. The ’90s brought less critical acclaim, but plenty of box office success. He also starred in the John Grisham adaptations The Firm in 1993 and The Chamber in 1996, but it was his third Grisham thriller that is proving popular on streaming.

Runaway Jury Is Performing Well On Streaming

Viewers Are Tuning Into The Legal Thriller

Directed by Gary Fleder, Runaway Jury is based on the Grisham book of the same name, and was released theatrically in the United States in October 2003. It has a strong cast, including Hackman, John Cusack, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, and Jeremy Piven, and the movie earned just over $80 million against a budget of $60 million. In addition to earning generally positive reviews, Runaway Jury is significant because it was Hackman’s penultimate movie before his retirement.

Now, around two decades after its release, Runaway Jury has become an unexpected streaming hit, with Netflix Tudum revealing it has debuted at #6 on the Top 10 Global Movies chart for the week of March 3 through March 9. It charted ahead of Midnight in the Switchgrass at #7, Despicable Me 3 at #8, Minions at #9, and The Boss Baby at #10. The top movie of the week was the Netflix Original Plankton: The Movie. Runaway Jury earned 4.5 million views and 9.2 million viewing hours, ranking on the individual Top 10 charts for six countries.

Our Take On Runaway Jury’s Streaming Success

The Late Actor’s Tragic Passing Will Have Generated Interest

Main characters n the poster for Runaway Jury

Hackman’s tragic death, which was announced on February 26, has renewed interest in the star’s iconic back catalog, and will have been instrumental in generating viewer interest in Runaway Jury. While Hackman’s death is still fresh in the mind, there is a good chance the movie could continue to perform and might well be on the Netflix charts for a few weeks longer. Runaway Jury might not rank among Hackman’s best movies, but, being his penultimate project, it holds a special status for fans of the star and for movie aficionados, and its run on Netflix could trigger interest in more Hackman titles.

Source: Netflix Tudum