Rediscovered 4-Year-Old Liam Neeson Thriller Takes Netflix by Storm

Article Overview

Cold Pursuit, a 2019 action thriller starring Liam Neeson, has gained popularity on Netflix after being overlooked in theaters.

Despite a controversial first weekend, the film managed to recover its production costs at the box office and garnered praise from reviewers. The movie's performance on Netflix, with 13.2 million hours of viewing and 6.7 million views, exceeded that of a recent Netflix original, Reptile.

Content has been

Cold Pursuit, a 2019 action thriller starring Liam Neeson, has found renewed success on Netflix. Based on the 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, Cold Pursuit follows Neeson's character, a snowplow driver, as he seeks vengeance against the drug cartel responsible for his son's death. The film also features a talented cast including Tom Bateman, Tom Jackson, Emmy Rossum, Domenick Lombardozzi, Julia Jones, John Doman, and Laura Dern.

Now, four years after its theatrical release, this underappreciated action thriller has become a hit on Netflix. During the week of October 23 to October 29, Cold Pursuit accumulated 13.2 million hours of viewing and received 6.7 million total views, earning its place in the Global Top 10 for the first time. It even surpassed the new Netflix original Reptile, which had dominated the Top 10 for the past five weeks.

How Did Cold Pursuit Perform In Theaters?

Since its release, Cold Pursuit has been largely overshadowed, primarily due to its lackluster performance at the box office. During its opening weekend in February 2019, the movie only garnered $10.8 million, making it one of Liam Neeson's worst opening weekends in the past decade. This was second only to 2010's The Next Three Days, which earned a mere $6.5 million. However, it is important to note that the film's underwhelming debut had little to do with its quality. Rather, it was the result of controversial remarks made by Neeson regarding a past incident, which many interpreted as racist.

Despite the setbacks, Cold Pursuit managed to recoup its $60 million budget by earning $76 million worldwide. Nonetheless, the controversy surrounding Neeson undoubtedly impacted its full potential. Setting the controversy aside, the film received generally positive reviews, a departure from the usual reception of Liam Neeson's action movies. Critics particularly appreciated the inclusion of dark humor, which they found to be highly effective. Interestingly, it was the audiences who seemed dissatisfied with Cold Pursuit, evident from its 49 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This could possibly be attributed to a review bombing campaign following Neeson's controversial comments.

Source: Netflix

Editor's P/S

1. In my opinion, Cold Pursuit is a highly entertaining and underrated action thriller that deserves more recognition. Liam Neeson delivers a powerful performance as the grieving father seeking revenge, and the film's dark humor and intense action sequences kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Despite its controversial start, I believe that Cold Pursuit has found its audience on Netflix and is now getting the appreciation it deserves.

2. The success of Cold Pursuit on Netflix shows that audiences are willing to give a second chance to movies that may have been overlooked or misunderstood upon their initial release. Word-of-mouth and the accessibility of streaming platforms have allowed hidden gems like Cold Pursuit to resurface and find new fans. I hope that this trend continues and that more people discover this thrilling and entertaining film.