In any other year, there’s a high chance that Extraction would have been quietly released onto Netflix with little fanfare and become the latest in a long line of the streaming service’s mid-budget originals to hang around the top end of the most-watched list before vanishing into the ether. Instead, Sam Hargrave’s feature debut ended up becoming the platform’s most popular in-house movie ever.
Arriving in April when Coronavirus restrictions were at their tightest and millions of people around the world were confined almost entirely to their homes, Extraction provided the dose of thrilling escapism we were all crying out for as Hemsworth’s no-frills Tyler Rake shot, stabbed and punched his way through the story in a non-stop barrage of impeccably crafted action sequences.
The $65 million movie ended up becoming the most-watched original project in Netflix’s history after racking up 90 million streams in the first four weeks it was available, and just like that a franchise was born. Of course, Extraction is hardly designed to win Academy Awards, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it posted a good showing when the nominees for the People’s Choice Awards were announced, given how Netflix subscribers instantly fell in love with the brutal actioner.
To celebrate Extraction‘s latest success, Hemsworth took to social media to thank the fans once again, and you can check out what he had to say down below.
The People’s Choice Awards are hardly one of the more important awards season events, but they are one of the rare ceremonies where Hollywood politics aren’t a factor, and fans have responded in kind by dishing out four nominations to Extraction for Best Movie, Best Action Movie, Best Movie Star and Best Action Star.