Jason Statham’s 96-Minute Action Thriller Is Officially The #1 Movie In The World
Jason Statham's action genre dominance continues as a particular 96-minute thriller is now the No. 1 movie in the world.
Though initially breaking out in the world of crime comedies thanks to the back-to-back hits of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, Statham's popularity blew up thanks to his leading turn in The Transporter, leading the franchise for its first three installments. The years that followed saw him rapidly ramp up his action genre output with everything from Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race reboot to Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables film series.
Even now, Statham remains a household name when it comes to action, due in part to having joined the Fast and Furious franchise. This year has already seen the release of one new film with Shelter, which was a modest critical and commercial success, and is just one week away from his second release of the year with the boat-set Mutiny. Before that, though, audiences are tuning in to a very different Statham film.
Crank: High Voltage Is Currently The #1 Movie In The World
It's Been 17 Years Since The Film Was A Box Office Hit
Written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the duo formerly known as Neveldine/Taylor, Crank: High Voltage served as a sequel to the 2005 sleeper hit, with Statham reprising his role of ever-poisoned hitman Chev Chelios. The 2009 film saw Chev, who narrowly survived the events of the first movie, having his heart removed and replaced with an artificial heart, which requires him to keep electrically jolting himself until he can find and reacquire his heart.
Now, some 17 years after the film first hit theaters, Crank: High Voltage is back and dominating streaming. At the time of writing, the action-thriller holds the No. 1 spot on Starz's global streaming charts, coming in ahead of everything from Terrifier 3 in the No. 2 spot to Josh Hartnett's Wicker Park at No. 4 and both Spider-Man: Far From Home and Homecoming at No. 5 and 8, respectively. The film is currently available to stream in the United States on Fubo TV, Philo, Kanopy, Hoopla and Fawesome.
Statham's Crank Sequel Split Critics As Much As The First
Its Success Originally Led To Plans For A Third Movie
Despite a fair amount of anticipation, Crank: High Voltage found itself met with the same amount of division, if not more, from critics upon its April 2009 release. Reviews were largely critical of the movie's efforts to amplify the more salacious elements of the first film, particularly its depiction of minority characters, while Neveldine/Taylor's hyperkinetic visual style had some describing it as "garish" and "choppy," and others praising it as "visually stunning."
Even while scoring higher with critics on Rotten Tomatoes than its predecessor, holding a 64% approval rating on the review aggregate, Crank: High Voltage's efforts to outmatch its first in energy and crass seemed to strike something of a nerve with audiences. The sequel, only $1.5 million more expensive than the first, earned nearly $10 million less at the box office, grossing just over $34 million. It also secured a Rotten score of 49% compared to the first movie's 71%.
Interestingly, in spite of the division, there were once plans for a Crank 3, with Statham and co-star Amy Smart frequently affirming their interest in returning for the threequel, though a script was never completed by Neveldine/Taylor. The latter even once indicated that the lengthy delay was due to a combination of financial concerns after High Voltage's underperformance, and the non-politically correct nature of the franchise as a whole making it tougher to get greenlit.
Despite some mixed feelings at the time, the fact that Crank: High Voltage has returned to streaming's top charts in such a big way clearly points to some love being had for the 96-minute sequel. Given Statham's relationship with Lionsgate remains alive, and he continues to be a big draw at the box office for audiences, it will be interesting to see if he and the studio are able to encourage Neveldine/Taylor to reconnect at some point for the third film and even make it a proper send-off for Chev Chelios.