Netflix has a huge hit on its hands. Rebel Ridge has topped Netflix's global movie chart after headlines went viral claiming it was the best action movie of 2024.
The official Netflix Tudum figures indicated that Rebel Ridge was watched 68.2 million hours in its first three days. This is a more legible number: 31.2 million people have watched the entire movie since its release on Netflix on September 6, 2014.
The series did something big—it even surpassed Damsel, a Netflix hit that started strong with 64 million hours in its first week. The thriller film's ensemble cast is particularly great, featuring Aaron Pierre, AnnaSophia Robb, and Don Johnson, all brought together by the vivid mind of Jeremy Saulnier.
That singular vision certainly paid off, turning Rebel Ridge from yet another Netflix movie into arguably one of the hottest action thrillers of 2024.
Jeremy Saulnier expresses his views on the film
Rebel Ridge
Saulnier was thrilled that everything finally came together despite the obstacles he faced while making the film. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jeremy said,
"Because we faced headwinds, did end up being a version of the movie that far exceeded my expectations. He added I’m fully at peace with it, and I love it in its current form before it’s even released. This is a first for me to have this much joy upon sharing my latest work."
He credited Pierre's standout performance for the film's outcome, believing that all the production issues ultimately led to the film it was meant to be.
“ So I do believe that this feels like the only version of the film that was destined to happen, and I’m so grateful that the fates connected me and Aaron Pierre, and that the crew and the cast had the fortitude to stick with us.”
Review of Rebel Ridge on Netflix
Rebel Ridge has been slaying, outdoing most films in the action genre this year with a high score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also appears that Netflix users love the film's plot. The plot revolves around a hard-nosed ex-marine who will not stop at anything to save his cousin in a corrupt town.
Saulnier's movie is great, and one reason is the amazing performance by its lead. Pierre is excellent as former Marine Terry Richmond. He almost didn't star in the movie. According to reports by The Hollywood Reporter, John Boyega was set to play the role of ex-Marine.
He later pulled out after a month of filming in 2021 due to family issues. By then, the pandemic had already caused some hold-ups, and the film was at a standstill until Pierre was finally cast in the lead.
Rebel Ridge is still going strong on Netflix. It's holding onto the top spot on the US movie rankings. On Tuesday's Netflix Top 10 Movies list, the movie still tops the list.
If you want to check out Rebel Ridge, it is streaming on Netflix.