Liam Neeson’s $23 Million ‘Sicario’ Replacement Snipes Top Spot on Global Streaming Charts

Liam Neeson has been one of the biggest action stars in the world for years, and just a few years ago, he tested his mettle in a neo-Western action thriller that’s taking over Netflix streaming charts. Four years ago, Neeson headlined The Marksman, the 2021 contemporary Western following a rancher on the Arizona border who becomes the guardian of a young boy fleeing cartel assassins. The Marksman began streaming on Netflix this past weekend, and it’s taken the film no time to snipe the top spot on streaming charts, even beating Guillermo del Toro’s latest film, Frankenstein.

The Marksman holds a production budget of about $23 million, which is exactly how much the film grossed at the global box office. Earning back its production budget wasn’t enough to make the film a financial success, though, considering studios generally split tickets sales with theaters 50/50. The neo-Western was also panned by critics upon release, leading to a Rotten 37% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences enjoyed the film, though. It sits at a solid 83% on the audience-driven Popcornmeter from over 1,000 verified reviews. The film also drew comparisons to Taylor Sheridan’s Sicario upon release.

For Neeson, The Marksman came in the same year that he first played Mike McCann in The Ice Road, the classic action thriller that has become one of Neeson’s most popular films in the last few years. He quietly released a sequel to the movie earlier this year, which dropped straight on streaming and became a massive success on both Prime Video and Netflix. Neeson recently starred in one of the biggest comedy movies of the last few years, The Naked Gun, alongside Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser.

Is Taylor Sheridan Making Another ‘Sicario’ Movie?

Earlier this year, Sicario star Josh Brolin confirmed that Taylor Sheridan is writing the script for a third Sicario movie. Sheridan has yet to announce this himself, nor does the film have a spot on the release calendar. Sheridan does have other movies in the works, though, such as F.A.S.T., his next neo-Western drug crime thriller starring Jason Clarke and Brandon Sklenar. The film will hit theaters on April 23, 2027. He’s also been tapped to write the Call of Duty movie in development at Paramount, with his long-time collaborator Peter Berg directing.

Be sure to watch The Marksman on Netflix and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.

Release Date

January 15, 2021

Runtime

108 minutes

Director

Robert Lorenz

Writers

Robert Lorenz, Danny Kravitz, Chris Charles

Producers

Tai Duncan, Warren T. Goz, Mark Williams, Eric Gold, Robert Lorenz