The Last Of Us-Like R-Rated Sci-Fi Thriller Emerges As Netflix Global Hit
A post-apocalyptic horror movie that came out eight years before The Last of Us has seen a resurgence on the streaming charts.
The Last of Us, based on the popular video game of the same name, premiered on HBO in 2023. The third season is currently filming in Vancouver, BC. There have been numerous movies released over the years that are similar to The Last of Us, like Dawn of the Dead, Train to Busan and 28 Days Later.
Extinction Has Roared Back To Life As A Global Netflix Hit
It’s Right Behind The Streamer’s Latest Big Hit
Extinction, another post-apocalyptic horror film that was released in theaters in 2015, recently joined Netflix's rotating list of licensed content internationally, and it's already become a hit.
On Netflix's Top 10 global streaming chart, Extinction is currently at No. 2 (as of August 14, 2026), behind The Last House, a new sci-fi thriller that's proven to be hugely successful for the streamer.
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, South Africa, Venezuela and Vietnam are just some of the many countries around the world where Extinction is surging up the chart.
Nando Between Two Worlds — A Sintonia Film, 72 Hours, A Child of My Own, What a Girl Wants, The Suicide Squad, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Robin Hood round out the rest of the Top 10.
Extinction is not available on Netflix or any other streaming service in the United States, though it can be bought and rented on digital platforms.
Extinction Was The Last Of Us Before HBO’s Adaptation
The Film Also Had A Star-Studded Cast
Matthew Fox, best known for the J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof-created sci-fi series Lost, stars in Extinction as Patrick, one of the post-apocalyptic survivors who realize the zombies that turned the world upside down are still around several years later. The movie was like a big screen version of The Last of Us well before that series premiered on HBO.
Fox's Extinction co-stars are Jeffrey Donovan, Quinn McColgan, Valeria Vereau, Alex Hafner and Clara Lago. Miguel Ángel Vivas directed the film, an adaptation of Juan de Dios Garduño's novel Y pese a todo, and co-wrote the script with Alberto Marini.
Extinction, which is rated R for horror violence, terror and language, received a limited theatrical release in 2015. As a result, it only grossed $2.35 million at the box office. The movie was panned by critics, who gave it an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. At 35%, the audience score wasn't much higher.
After Lost ended in 2010, Fox appeared on the big screen in movies like Alex Cross, Emperor, World War Z and Bone Tomahawk, as well as Extinction.
He then made his return to the small screen with the TV shows Last Night, Caught and the new Taylor Sheridan-created Western The Madison, which debuted with 8 million viewers and has already been renewed for two more seasons.
Until The Last of Us season 3 premieres in 2027, fans of post-apocalyptic dramas can check out Extinction on Netflix.