Monkey Man has become a major hit on streaming, a new ranking reveals. Written and directed by Dev Patel, with the actor also playing the lead role, the action thriller movie tells the story of Kid, who embarks on a campaign for vengeance against the corrupt city leaders responsible for the death of his mother. Monkey Man earned mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences upon its release in theaters earlier this year, and it became available on streaming on Friday, June 14.

Now, Reelgood reveals that Monkey Man ranks as the fourth most popular title on streaming in the U.S. for the week of June 13 – 19. Patel’s action flick, which is available on Peacock Premium, beats titles like Brats, The Acolyte, House of the Dragon, and Godzilla Minus One. In a separate chart ranking only movies, Monkey Man fared even better, coming in at second place. Check out the overall chart for movies and TV shows below:

Monkey Man’s Theatrical Performance Explained

Dev Patel’s Action Movie Was A Success

Monkey Man was originally set to bow on Netflix, but the streamer began to shop the project around after the movie was reportedly deemed a little too gritty and politically charged for the Indian market. After seeing the movie, filmmaker Jordan Peele decided to join the project as an executive producer, and he ultimately secured theatrical distribution through Universal. Universal was able to acquire the movie for $10 million, a considerable amount less than the $30 million Netflix originally acquired it for.

Monkey Man‘s budget is estimated to be $10 million, and the film did end up doing fairly decent business. Worldwide, Patel’s action movie has grossed $34.7 million worldwide, comprising $25.1 million domestic and $95 million from overseas. This box office result compliments the movie’s generally positive theatrical reception, as Monkey Man sports a strong 88% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 84% audience score.

What remains to be seen is whether the movie’s success will be enough to get a prospective Monkey Man 2 off the ground. There have been no official announcements just yet, but Patel did previously seem open to the idea. Combined with digital rentals and sales, the movie’s newfound streaming success could certainly help move a sequel forward. If no follow-up movie happens, though, the Monkey Man ending does ultimately serve as a satisfying conclusion to Kid’s story.

Source: Reelgood