Alex Garland’s Warfare has now become a mᴀssive hit on streaming. Co-directed by Garland, known for Ex Machina and Annihilation, the film portrays a U.S. Navy SEAL platoon mission and depicts several real-life SEALs from the Iraq War, including co-director Ray Mendoza, who is played by Reservation Dogs star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.
Warfare was released back in April by A24 and garnered widespread praise from critics and audiences, currently holding a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Along with Woon-A-Tai, the stacked cast of Warfare includes Joseph Quinn, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, and Kit Connor.
Warfare recently debuted on HBO Max and has quickly nabbed the number one spot on the streaming service’s Top 10 Movies Today (in the U.S.) list. The film ranks ahead of Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd’s comedy Friendship, as well as The Sitter Unrated and The Sitter.
Other movies currently on the HBO Max Top 10 list include The Conjuring, Seven, The Conjuring 2, Prometheus, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and Jonah Hex.
What This Means For Warfare
This quick streaming success is a good sign for Garland and Mendoza’s film, considering its underwhelming run at the box office. Since premiering, Warfare has earned only $33.6 million globally, despite boasting a strong critical reception and a largely recognizable cast.
While movies by Alex Garland have produced similar numbers, the low box office for Warfare is especially notable when compared to his previous A24 release, Civil War. That movie, portraying a fictional conflict and featuring Kirsten Dunst, managed to gross over $127 million, a year before Warfare hit theaters.
Having now gained popularity on HBO Max, Warfare might begin drawing greater interest, potentially making up for the disappointing theatrical turnout. Another positive is that, along with a strong Tomatometer, the film has accumulated a Popcornmeter score of 93%, which signals that most audiences are enjoying it.
Our Take On Warfare Becoming A Streaming Hit
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how long Warfare continues to chart on streaming and what kind of impact increasing its audience will have. Given how well-received Garland’s films are in general, and considering those impressive critical reactions to Warfare, it is worth wondering why the movie did not attract as many eyes upon initial release.
Perhaps being easily available will help expand discussion surrounding Warfare, and even push it towards awards contention. Depicting real war veterans and placing audiences amid such an intense environment, the movie lives up to its reviews, and it seems audiences are becoming eager to watch it now.
