Monster Hunter Movies’ Resurgence: Climbs Streaming Charts Amid Video Game Trend!

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As a passionate cinephile, I can say that the realm of video game adaptations is nothing new to me, especially since I’ve been part of this universe for quite some time now. One of my films has been steadily gaining popularity on streaming platforms. My journey in the world of cinema began with minor roles in the late ’80s, but it was my role as Leeloo in Luc Besson’s masterpiece, The Fifth Element, that catapulted me to stardom. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with talented directors like Spike Lee on He Got Game, Ben Stiller on both Zoolander and its sequel, and David Harbour in his reboot of Hellboy.

Her standout achievement thus far has been her involvement in the Resident Evil movie series, a screen adaptation based on Capcom’s survival horror video game franchise with the same name. Working alongside her husband, writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson, Milla Jovovich portrayed the heroine Alice across six films. Additionally, she has appeared in Anderson’s adaptations of The Three Musketeers and George R.R. Martin’s In the Lost Lands. Among their collaborative works is a video game adaptation that, initially unnoticed, is now experiencing some level of success.

Jovovich’s Monster Hunter Movie Is Climbing Hulu’s Charts

The Adaptation Remains One Of Anderson’s Better-Received Movies

Monster Hunter took approximately a decade to develop, with Anderson securing the rights from Capcom. The film eventually premiered in late 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Milla Jovovich played the lead role as Natalie Artemis, a U.S. Army Ranger who gets transported to an alternate world teeming with enormous creatures. Alongside Tony Jaa and Ron Perlman, Monster Hunter received mixed responses from critics and underperformed at the box office, earning roughly $48 million against its $60 million production cost.

Four years after its release in cinemas, “Monster Hunter” is steadily rising in popularity on Hulu’s rankings. At the moment, it holds the third position on their Top 15 Movies Today chart, trailing behind “Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years” at the top and the newly released Kelly Marie Tran Hulu Original, “Control Freak,” which is currently in second place.

The remainder of the chart presents a diverse selection of genres, such as:

4. “Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna” – a documentary
5. The reboot of “Hellboy” (also known as “The Crooked Man”)
6. Comedies like “Confessions of a Shopaholic”
7. “The Ugly Truth”
8. “The Truman Show”
9. “Anger Management”

Each title is listed in the order given above.

Here are the last five positions on the list:

1. At number 10, we find “Good Will Hunting,” a dramedy starring Matt Damon and Robin Williams.
2. One spot behind, at number 11, is “The Help,” another historical dramedy.
3. At number 12, we have the horror-thriller “Longlegs.”
4. Quentin Tarantino’s classic “Pulp Fiction” takes the 13th position.
5. The action-comedy “The Other Guys” rounds off the list at number 14, and Eric Bana’s “Force of Nature: The Dry 2” is in the 15th spot.

Our Take On Monster Hunter’s Newfound Streaming Success

Jovovich’s Acting Return & The Video Game Adaptation Resurgence Are Big Helps

Despite not managing to improve Anderson’s string of poor reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the Monster Hunter adaptation by Anderson is notable as one of his better attempts among video game movie adaptations. With a 44% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, this film stands as his second-best rated directorial project and his second-highest rated video game adaptation, trailing only behind his Mortal Kombat movie. You can compare Monster Hunter to Anderson’s other films on Rotten Tomatoes by following the link below:

[Link to comparison]

Title Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Mortal Kombat (1995) 47% 58%
Event Horizon 35% 62%
Soldier 17% 44%
Resident Evil 36% 67%
Resident Evil: Apocalypse 18% 60%
Alien vs. Predator 21% 39%
Death Race (2008) 41% 60%
Resident Evil: Afterlife 21% 48%
The Three Musketeers 26% 69%
Resident Evil: Retribution 28% 51%
Pompeii 27% 34%
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter 38% 47%
Monster Hunter 44% 70%
In the Lost Lands 23% 45%

Despite how poorly Monster Hunter may have fared initially, there are several possible explanations for its recent surge in popularity on streaming platforms. One plausible reason could be that the return of Milla Jovovich and Paul Anderson to the spotlight following their adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s “In the Lost Lands” has sparked renewed interest in their previous collaborations. Although many of Anderson’s films have been panned by critics, as is often the case with his work, some viewers may find themselves reminiscing about revisiting these past projects featuring the duo.

One plausible explanation for why Monster Hunter continues to rise in streaming charts even today is that the video game adaptation genre has gained unprecedented popularity recently. From the Sonic the Hedgehog movies and Mortal Kombat, to TV series like The Last of Us on HBO and Fallout on Prime Video, which have remained faithful to their original source materials, to even less recognized properties such as Anderson’s or Josh Ruben’s praised Werewolves Within, are now receiving more attention.

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2025-03-15 04:09