Surprising Resurgence: Melissa McCarthy's 10-Year-Old Comedy Takes Netflix by Storm

Summary

Identity Thief, a Melissa McCarthy comedy from 2013, is now a Top 10 hit on Netflix.

Despite receiving negative reviews, the film was a box office hit, grossing $175.4 million at the time of its release. Currently, Identity Thief has secured the 9th position on the Netflix Top 10 English-language movies chart, with a viewership of 3.9 million and a total of 7.3 million hours viewed.

2013's comedy film "Identity Thief," starring Melissa McCarthy, has become one of Netflix's Top 10 hits. The story revolves around Sandy Patterson (played by Jason Bateman) as he tracks down Diana (portrayed by McCarthy), who has stolen his identity. The aim is to bring her to justice and clear his credit. Despite being financially successful, earning $175.4 million with a budget of $35 million, the movie received negative reviews upon its release. Currently, it holds a 35 out of 100 Metacritic score and an even lower 19% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Netflix recently compiled a list of their Top 10 most-watched English-language movies for the week of October 2 to October 8. "Identity Thief" claims the ninth spot, with 3.9 million viewers who collectively spent 7.3 million hours watching the film. This ten-year-old movie shares the list alongside recent Netflix hits such as "Fair Play," a new thriller starring Phoebe Dynevor from "Bridgerton" and Alden Ehrenreich from "Solo: A Star Wars Story."

Melissa McCarthy's Career Has Changed a Lot Since Identity Thief

Despite its negative reception, Identity Thief has found success on Netflix for various reasons. One of the main factors is likely the presence of its lead actors. Jason Bateman, known for his popular Netflix series Ozark, has proven to be a reliable draw for the platform. Additionally, Melissa McCarthy has undergone a career transformation since the film's original release. In 2013, McCarthy was only two years removed from her Oscar-nominated role in Bridesmaids. However, during this time, theaters saw an abundance of McCarthy-led comedies, leading critics to dismiss any films that didn't involve her collaboration with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig. Examples of these well-received collaborations include The Heat (66%), Spy (95%), and Ghostbusters (74%). Unfortunately, McCarthy's non-Feig movies, including Identity Thief, were not as positively received, garnering similar ratings to her films Tammy (24%) and The Boss (22%).

Since then, McCarthy has expanded her filmography beyond her usual comedic projects. This includes her impressive performance in the 2018 biographical film Can You Ever Forgive Me?, which garnered her a second Oscar nomination. Additionally, she recently took on the role of the villainous Ursula in the highly-anticipated 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. As time has passed and viewers have moved away from her comedic films of the 2010s, it appears that there has been a renewed interest in her earlier works such as Identity Thief, despite the unfavorable reviews from critics.