Hulu's New R-Rated Sci-Fi Movie Revives Dormant Franchise On Streaming

A new sci-fi film on Hulu is making its mark on the streaming charts as the franchise gets ready for a proper revival on the Disney-owned streamer.

Hulu has a wide array of sci-fi content to stream right now, including the Men in Black films, The X-Files, Ex Machina, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Predator: Badlands and Planet of the Apes. Several of these movies and shows are part of long-running franchises that continue to find new audiences and new ways to tell the stories years later.

The X-Files: I Want To Believe Is Reviving The Franchise In Style

The R-Rated Director's Cut Is Quickly Climbing Hulu's Charts

Days after its August 14 release, The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn, an R-rated director's cut of the 2008 film, is finding success on Hulu's movie streaming chart right now.

It's currently at No. 13, behind films like Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, Busboys, The Devil Wears Prada 2, Solo Mio, 2012, Muzzle: City of Wolves, Violent Ends, Twilight, Jurassic Park, The Avengers, Men in Black and Something's Gotta Give. Jurassic World and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come round out the rest of the Top 15.

The X-Files franchise debuted in 1993 with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson starring as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, two FBI agents tasked with investigating paranormal cases. The series initially ran for nine seasons and became a pop culture phenomenon, especially among sci-fi fans.

In 1998, 20th Century Fox released the first theatrical X-Files film, which grossed $189 million at the box office but received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, lower than the show's average score of 74%.

After the TV show ended in 2002, it took another six years for the feature-length sequel to be released. The X-Files: I Want to Believe didn't fare nearly as well as its predecessor, though, earning $68 million. Reviews widely panned the movie, and it currently has a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite that poor reception, The X-Files series was eventually revived for two more seasons in 2016 and 2018.

Critics Have Proven Generally Favorable For The New X-Files Cut

Its Hulu Debut Comes At The Perfect Time

Unlike the original theatrical release of the second film, the director's cut has been received more favorably by critics, who are calling The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Vrach Frankenshteyn intelligent, nuanced and refreshing.

However, there are still plenty of negative reviews, with some claiming that the flaws of the original cut are still there and others saying director Chris Carter merely gave the film a slight revamp instead of a major overhaul.

No matter the reception, the release of this director's cut comes at the perfect time for the franchise. Black Panther and Sinners' Ryan Coogler is currently working on an X-Files reboot for Hulu with lead stars Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel.

So far, the streamer has only ordered a pilot, which was filmed back in May and June. Hulu executives haven't decided yet whether to give Coogler's project a series order.