When it comes to crime thrillers, there aren’t many directors who are in the same league as Michael Mann. He’s created some incredible additions to the genre, including the absolutely iconic Heat, a movie that is finally getting the sequel that many fans have hoped to see for years. That said, not every Michael Mann movie has been a winner, though one of his lesser-regarded films is apparently finding new life on streaming.
Blackhat Is A Top Streaming Movie On HBO Max
Even if you’re a serious movie fan, you’d be forgiven if you’ve largely forgotten Blackhat. The 2015 film starred Chris Hemsworth as a hacker who is released from prison and enlisted by the FBI to track down a group of criminals who hacked a Hong Kong nuclear plant. The film didn’t do particularly well with critics., It sits at a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it did even worse at the box office. Grossing less than $20 million against a reported budget of $70 million.
Blackhat is one of the lowest-grossing wide-release movies ever made, but maybe that’s why Flixpatrol reports that the film has been the number three movie on HBO Max recently. Clearly a lot of people didn't go to see it when it came out, so anyone already paying for an HBO Max subscription might as well check it out.
None of this is to say the movie is actually bad. Some critics who reviewed the film back in 2015 not only thought it was good, but thought it was one of the best movies of the year. It’s possible those critics were on to something, as Blackhat has been receiving something of a reappraisal in recent years. While it’s not necessarily considered a forgotten masterpiece, many do feel the film is better than it was given credit for upon release.’
Blackhat's Streaming Success Comes Ahead Of Michael Mann's Heat 2
Blackhat would hardly be the first “bad” movie to be discovered on streaming. Many movies that get overlooked in theaters end up getting a lot of views on streaming platforms, whether or not doing so changes people’s perception of the movie’s quality. Sometimes people watch Madame Web on Netflix just because they want to see how bad it is.
While Blackhat is a top streaming movie globally on HBO Max, that doesn't mean it's a top choice everywhere in the world. Blackhat isn't a top streaming choice in the U.S. Domestically, you'll need a Prime Video subscription to watch the film rather than one for HBO Max.
Blackhat's success seems to be focused on various countries in South America. They must be watching in pretty remarkable numbers to make the movie a top hit globally despite only regional success. It's likely worth noting that the top streaming movie globally on HBO Max, Sinners, isn't a top 10 performer in most of the places where Blackhat is doing well. Maybe they just prefer Michael Mann to Ryan Coogler down there.
It’s possible that people seeing the news about the upcoming Heat 2 got it in their head to watch some of Michael Mann’s other films, and Blackhat has been one of the beneficiaries of that. If you want to rewatch the original Heat, however, you’ll need a Hulu subscription.
