Mel Gibson Thriller Never Released In US Theaters Blows Up Netflix's Top 10
A movie where Gibson played himself...to some extent.
Summary
- Recently, the Netflix library was updated with the psychological thriller 2022, starring Mel Gibson.
- The film was panned by critics, flopped at the worldwide box office, and was never released in the US.
- But that didn't stop it from making its way into Netflix's US Top 10.
On March 22, the psychological thriller On the Line, starring Mel Gibson and never before released in the United States, landed on Netflix.
Despite cold reviews from critics and viewers, the movie became one of the most watched among American users.
Obscure Thriller Makes It into the American Top 10
On the Line has gained some impressive popularity as a recent addition to Netflix. For the week of March 18-24, 2024, it ranked seventh among the Top 10 most-watched movies on Netflix in the US, despite only being added to the streaming service's library on March 22.
According to What's on Netflix, the film's ratings began to climb the very next week: By March 24, it was in fourth place in the US Top 10, and by March 25, it was in an honorable second place, behind only the drama Mending the Line, starring Brian Cox and Sinqua Walls. On the Line also outperformed new Netflix original films such as the Lindsay Lohan romcom Irish Wish, the Regina King biopic Shirley and the Millie Bobby Brown dark fantasy Damsel.
The film remained at number two until March 27, when it dropped to number three on the American Top 10, where it remains at the time of this writing.
What Is This Movie About
The plot follows radio host Elvis Cooney (Gibson), who works at the station at night. Elvis doesn't have the best attitude toward his co-workers, but he never expected what happens on one of his workdays: During the show, he receives a call from a mysterious man who claims that his former switchboard operator committed suicide because of Elvis' demeanor, and that the man has kidnapped the host's wife and daughter to take revenge on him and play a psychological game of cat and mouse. In addition to Gibson and Moseley, the film starred Paul Spera, Alia Seror-O'Neill, Enrique Arce, Kevin Dillon, Nadia Fares, and others.
But that's not all, as the crazy puzzles that Elvis must solve with a new intern named Dylan (played by Chronicles of Narnia star William Moseley) are followed by even crazier plot twists that make Dylan question his own sanity. But will he really question it?
Released in other countries, On the Line was not a huge success, earning only $743,349 at the worldwide box office. Moreover, audiences were very cold to the movie: on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics' score was a measly 20%. Ordinary viewers were a little less harsh, leaving a score of 31%, but that does not help the situation.
Why Is It So Popular on Netflix
In this context, it is logical to ask why On the Line has become so popular on Netflix, despite all the criticism and such low scores on review aggregators.
Well, first of all, of course, it is the star-studded cast: a new role for Mel Gibson, whom we have rarely seen in recent years, a new role for William Moseley, whom many people have hardly seen on the big and small screen since Prince Caspian, and a new role for Kevin Dillon, once famous thanks to the HBO hit Entourage.
Second, despite the fact that many people disliked the movie, there is no denying that Gibson is still a great actor. Yes, he hasn't been honored in Hollywood in recent years, given his anti-Semitic and chauvinistic views, and domestic violence cases, so you don't hear much from him lately (although Lionsgate's Flight Risk with Mark Wahlberg, directed by Mel Gibson, is coming up). Given the actor's troubled past, his equally troubled character was spot on, perfectly conveying the experience of a man on the edge.
Unfortunately, the finale undermined all the tension built up throughout the movie, but with On the Line available for streaming on Netflix, now is a great time to check it out.