The streaming wars never end, and this year has proven beyond any doubt that while Oscar-winning epics might get you prestige, trashy fun popcorn movies are what really grab people's attention week in, week out.
It's been a year in which movies with pretty terrible critical ratings have surged to the top of the charts on Netflix, and now Prime Video is proving it can play the same card – its latest original movie, Jackpot!, has hit the top spot (erm, jackpot?) in terms of viewers on the streaming platform.
The news was confirmed by director Paul Feig on X this week, and underlined the fact that audiences are flocking to the movie, which is fronted by John Cena and Awkwafina.
It follows Katie, a woman who unknowingly wins the lottery in a near-future version of California. The twist is that anyone else can steal her winnings if they can kill her by the end of the day, which propels a nice and simple action-comedy plot. Cena plays an agent who makes it his mission to preserve her life as a way of proving his competence.
It sounds like a fairly original idea, and the fact that it's raced into the top position on Prime Video would suggest it's pretty fun – but there's no escaping the fact that Jackpot!'s reception has been lacklustre. On Rotten Tomatoes it's sitting on two depressing scores – a 30% score from critics, but more dispiritingly a 50% score from audiences.
That second metric has been slowly climbing, though, so it might be that it creeps up into more optimistic territory over time, as more and more people get their eyes on the movie.
We’re number 1! Thanks to everyone watching #JackpotMovie on @PrimeVideo! @JohnCena and Awkwafina are here for you. This movie was made to just have fun, so come and join the jackpot! 🎰🎰🎰 pic.twitter.com/Iqgkj5Vr8ZAugust 16, 2024
Still, in the battle to be the best streaming service, it's not all about critical scores – really, it's about the number of people using your platform. Amazon might be privately disappointed with the reviews of its movie, but the fact that it's topped the charts can only be a good thing.
If you're in the market for a really easy movie night, then, or if you're curious to see how Cena's continued evolution into a box-office star is going, maybe give Jackpot! a try sometime soon. Even if it's 'so bad it's good', it's sure to entertain.
