Anthony Mackie has become a notable leading man in Hollywood over the last several years, largely due to his work in the MCU. Though it was his role opposite Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (2008) that announced him as an actor to keep an eye on, it was his Sam Wilson debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) that set him on his current path. He would go on to appear in a handful of Marvel movies over the next decade, including the sensation that was Avengers: Endgame in 2019.

After the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ show, Mackie reprised his role as Wilson once more in the divisive Captain America: Brave New World (2025), which solidifies his position as the MCU’s new Captain America. Outside of the MCU, Mackie has kept busy, starring in season 2 of Altered Carbon as well as playing the lead role in Twisted Metal. He also, however, took center stage in a post-apocalyptic action thriller that was released last year.

Elevation Ascends To Become A Streaming Hit

The Action Thriller Divided Audiences & Critics

Mackie’s recent action thriller, Elevation

, has now found success on streaming. Directed by George Nolfi, the film takes place in a post-apocalyptic America and follows Mackie’s Will, a single father who sets out on a dangerous mission against monstrous creatures to save a young boy. Elevation reviews were mixed from critics, with strong performances from Mackie and costar Morena Baccarin not able to fully compensate for a story that feels too familiar. Audiences seemed to enjoy the movie more, though, and it has an audience score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to a critics’ score of only 56%.

Now, new data from Reelgood reveals that Elevation, which is streaming on Max, ranks as the ninth most popular movie on streaming for the week of February 20 – 26. The movie beats Oscars contender A Real Pain (2024), but falls short of other тιтles like September 5 (2024), To Catch A Killer (2023), Flow (2024), and Longlegs (2024). Check out the full top 10 movies list below:

What Elevation’s Streaming Popularity Means For Anthony Mackie

Mackie Continues To Succeed On Streaming

Mackie’s first solo outing as Captain American hasn’t been a total success, earning mixed reviews and not quite setting the box office on fire. Even though Elevation may be experiencing success on streaming, it also didn’t look like much of a win when it first came out. Per The Numbers, the film was released in 1416 theaters and grossed just $3.3 million worldwide. The film carries an estimated budget of $18 million, making it a fairly significant disappointment theatrically.

Still, Elevation‘s newfound success on Max does speak to Mackie’s appeal as a leading man, and it’s likely that Brave New World‘s release has played a factor in encouraging more viewers to check it out. On streaming, Mackie actually seems to do quite well, as Altered Carbon was a generally successful show on Netflix and Twisted Metal is now gearing up for a season 2 on Peacock. Mackie’s time in the MCU certainly isn’t done just yet, but Elevation‘s success on streaming suggests the actor could continue to succeed on streaming moving forward.

Source: Reelgood