One of our modern era’s most popular genres happens to be comic book adaptations. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe having provided fans with countless successes, many other properties have tried to follow suit. One such example, a R-rated comic book movie from 2012, is now dominating the streaming service Max.
While this film certainly has its fans, it’s only ever been something of a cult success, because the film originally flopped in theaters. With a budget ranging between $30-45 million, it only earned $41.5 million at the box office. Since then, however, it has grown in popularity with home video and streaming.
At the time of this writing, the title is currently ranking in the number 2 spot on Max’s Top 10 in the United States. This is yet another incredible example of an underappreciated movie finding an audience quite awhile after its original release. It’s been more than a decade since 2012, and this comic book movie is still finding an audience on Max.
The film, titled Dredd, has consistently made a name for itself years after its theatrical release. Karl Urban, now widely recognized for his role in The Boys, played the titular role of Dredd – otherwise known as Judge Dredd – and did so in an awesomely comic book-accurate way. Unlike the 1995 adaptation Judge Dredd, which starred Sylvester Stallone as the title character, Urban’s Dredd was a no-nonsense judge, jury, and executioner that refused to show his face.
Olivia Thirlby joins Urban’s Dredd as Judge Anderson, a rookie judge that works alongside Dredd to take down Ma-Ma, a drug lord named Lena Headey who has complete control over a high-rise block of apartments. The film follows Dredd and Anderson as they go through 200 stories to end her reign of crime.
The movie is fast-paced, action-packed, and exceptionally brutal. For one reason or another, it didn’t connect with audiences in 2012. For fans today, however, it’s proven to be a true modern-day action classic. Now that the comic book adaptation is dominating Max, one can hope it’s only another positive step towards getting a new Dredd film in the near future.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on Max and any Judge Dredd news as we have it. As for now, subscribers to Max can check out Dredd and see why the film has become a modern-day cult classic.