This Underrated Sci-Fi Epic Is Finally Getting The Streaming Audience It Deserves
An underrated sci-fi epic is finally getting the streaming audience it deserves.
Three years after it was released in theaters, an underrated sci-fi movie has become a massive Netflix success. While sci-fi movies on Netflix range from adventure movies like The Electric State to high-octane action thrillers like War Machine, the platform boasts a considerable amount of films that only smaller audiences have seen thus far. This includes movies that continually cycle through the platform that originally came out in theaters, but didn't make as big an impact as anticipated in the public eye.
One of these films is The Creator, a 2023 sci-fi epic directed by Gareth Edwards, who co-wrote the movie with Chris Weitz. The movie takes place decades in the future, where humans and AI are at war following an AI-led nuclear detonation that happened over Los Angeles. 10 years later, U.S. Army Sergeant Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) is tasked with destroying childlike robot named Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles), said to be a new weapon the AI plan to use against humanity. However, he disobeys orders and rescues her, leading to a high-octane and thematically complex journey.
Now, it's been confirmed The Creator is the Number 3 movie on Netflix worldwide, the movie making a massive impact on audiences at home three years after it was originally released. According to data from July 22, 2026, The Creator has managed to make its way onto the Top 10 lists of dozens of countries around the world, placing at Number 2 in 12 countries, and placing Number 1 in Estonia. The film has made a global impact, despite not doing so when it was originally released.
While The Creator reviews were mostly positive, scoring it a 67% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it didn't perform very well at the box office. The movie earned $104.3 million against an $80 million budget, a ratio that signals it lost a decent amount of money in theaters. However, it was nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound at the Oscars that year, and Best Science Fiction Film at the Saturn Awards. It made a small impact, but one that's left it unfortunately unremembered following its release.
That is, until now. Its global popularity on Netflix has aided in making it recognized around the world, despite its underperformance at the box office. It helps that it's one of Edwards' most underrated movies, tackling themes of what it means to be human. It helps that there's plenty of intense, explosive action sequences. The movie ensures there's never a dull moment as it delivers on its core, heartfelt storyline, complete with a charming connection between its two main heroes.
The Creator's popularity on Netflix is relatively new, meaning it could continue to perform well on the platform as this week progresses. Because of how well the movie is doing, it seems like it'll go down as a classic amongst Edwards' film catalog, something that will aid in its continued success as more eyes are driven to the sci-fi epic.