Ryan Reynolds' Hitman's Bodyguard Franchise Rises on Netflix Despite Critical Backlash
Jul, 6 2025
Action Comedy Franchise Finds New Fans on Netflix
Ryan Reynolds doesn’t shy away from taking risks, and that gamble is paying off again. His and Samuel L. Jackson’s action-comedy franchise, Hitman’s Bodyguard, has crashed through Netflix’s trending lists, proving there’s still a huge appetite for crowd-pleasing buddy films—even when the critics groan.
When the first film hit theaters in 2017, few expected it to skyrocket in the way it did. Reynolds plays Michael Bryce, a bodyguard whose buttoned-up world gets flipped upside down when he’s forced to protect Darius Kincaid, a lethal hitman played by Jackson. The unlikely partners dash through Europe dodging bullets, exchanging one-liners, and bickering like a married couple. The formula’s familiar, for sure, but the numbers don’t lie: the movie hauled in $183 million worldwide on a modest $30 million budget. Clearly, audiences loved what they saw.
The sequel, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021), ramped things up, adding new faces like Antonio Banderas as a vengeful villain and even Morgan Freeman, alongside Salma Hayek, who returned as the fierce and unpredictable Sonia Kincaid. This time the stakes got even higher. Instead of just protecting a witness, Bryce and the Kincaids find themselves trying to stop a terrorist plot, all while wrapped in layers of chaos, gunfire, and, of course, crude jokes.
Critics Scoff, Viewers Hit Play
Despite all that, the critics weren’t impressed. The original sits at just 44% on Rotten Tomatoes from reviewers, though audiences offered a slightly warmer 67%. The sequel fared no better with reviewers, who pegged it as overly familiar and formula-driven. You’d think that would be a death knell, right? Not even close. Both movies have shot up the Netflix ranks in July 2025, fueled by viewers looking for something easy, funny, and packed with over-the-top action.
Streaming seems to have cut through the noise surrounding the critic vs. audience debate. Fans are openly embracing the zany energy of Reynolds and Jackson, whose chemistry and constant banter are really the engine behind this franchise. It turns out, when you put two massive personalities together and throw them into wild, high-stakes plots, people don’t mind if the formula is obvious—they just want to have a good time.
Reynolds himself once described the original as a “Hail Mary,” something of a long shot in a crowded summer movie market. Its box office success stunned even insiders. Now, streaming’s giving the franchise new life, proof that there’s a persistent divide between what critics want and what regular viewers will binge. The continued streaming success suggests that sometimes you just need the right duo, some wild chase scenes, and a steady stream of jokes. Audiences keep hitting play—and that might be the best review of all.