Netflix's upcoming action thriller Extraction doesn't seem like the type of movie to generate buzz or excitement. Sure, it's produced by Hollywood powerhouses Joe and Anthony Russo, who managed to snag A-lister Chris Hemsworth in the lead role, but Netflix doesn't have the cleanest track record with big-budget action films. However, since the coronavirus pandemic has decimated Hollywood's release schedule for the foreseeable future, Extraction may be one of the only options for audiences to experience the loud, bombastic blockbusters that define the typical summer movie season.
Netflix is notorious for hashing out seemingly endless content at a breakneck speed. The movies and television shows that find success and reach a wide audience are only a small fraction of the platform's original material. This is especially and ironically true of Netflix's bigger-budgeted action films, which have often drowned in the content pool and have enjoyed far less popularity than other types of entertainment that the platform has to offer. Even when Netflix's financial risks pay off and its more expensive projects capture the public's attention, the films themselves are met with critical mockery.
Take Bright, Netflix's most expensive movie at the time of its release on December 22, 2017. At a hefty $90 million price tag, the project signaled the streaming service's increasingly more influential pull amongst the Hollywood big leagues. It was one of the worst-reviewed films of the year, but it was also one of the most-streamed titles on Netflix. Bright proved that a film that would otherwise potentially bomb at the theaters could find a home audience, paving the way for future big-budget investments.
However, not all future action releases reached the same level of success. There is currently a slew of films on Netflix that have attempted to claim blockbuster status but fell into cultural obscurity. The distributor took a financial hit last year when it released Triple Frontier, a heist adventure that boasted a stacked cast led by Ben Affleck in his return to action thrillers. Although the company claimed that the film's 63 million viewers in its first four months was a sign of success, the massive $115 million budget made Netflix rethink its funding for blockbusters. Although Triple Frontier received more favorable reviews than Bright, the generally lukewarm response marked it as more of a setback than a success story.
However, Extraction presents a new opportunity for Netflix to continue its climb as a streaming giant, especially as audiences are craving to escape from the claustrophobia of their daily quarantines. As theaters are shuttered across the world and highly anticipated tentpole blockbusters continue to postpone their release dates, streaming services remain a dependable source of entertainment for millions looking to take a break from their doldrums and despair. As excitement for huge moneymakers that were slated to release in the same time window like F9 and Black Widow were dashed, attention is focusing on other cinematic opulence in their place.
The trailer for Extraction promises an R-rated thriller with all the markings of the usual summer blockbuster. Shootouts, fistfights and high-speed vehicle chases are all prominently featured, with a charismatic and recognizable star in the middle of the action. It also helps that the film is yet another comic book adaptation. The project looks like another financial risk for Netflix, but this time the effort may pay off.
It's not as if Netflix has failed with every big-budget outing. 6 Underground presents the most successful example of a splashy explosion-fest, a Michael Bay-directed buffet of car chases and violence that captured the attention of crowds who were home for the holidays last December. Netflix heavily advertised the film with the help of star Ryan Reynolds, and the experience was sold as being an unabashedly mindless and ridiculous roller coaster ride. It's hard to imagine a vehicle like this not finding even more success in the current crisis as socially isolated viewers desperately crave material to distract themselves from the harshness of reality.
For as much as analysts have dissected the financial failure of Hollywood's explosive blockbusters, the summer season is traditionally a source of movie-going fun as audiences seek out spectacle. As long as COVID-19 continues to radically upend social life, though, traveling to the cineplex is an activity of the past and a hope for the future. In the meantime, services like Netflix will provide people more opportunities for audiences to escape through home cinema. Extraction, which might otherwise become lost among the digital shelves of Netflix's massive library, may thus discover unprecedented success.
Directed by Sam Hargrave and written by Joe Russo, Extraction stars Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Manoj Bajpayee, Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, Derek Luke, Marc Donato and David Harbour. It is scheduled to be released on April 24 on Netflix.