The Adam Project star Ryan Reynolds has become one of Hollywood's most surprising success stories over the years. Anyone watching his earlier projects like Waiting and Just Friends (or even the spitefully-titled Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place) might not have expected to see someone so at home in the "screwball" genre make such an impact later on. But he persisted, giving the world 2 hilarious Deadpool movies, the surprisingly fun Free Guy, and also The Croods.
But his most recent venture, Netflix's time-travel action-comedy The Adam Project, has elevated his status even more, earning him a distinction that no others have achieved (not yet, anyway). Thanks to the success of his latest film, Reynolds has become the first actor to star in 3 entries on Netflix's top 10 most popular English language films list. Not bad for the guy from Green Lantern.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, The Adam Project, which has already jumped up to the 7th spot on that list after only 3 weeks, earned Reynolds that honor pretty quickly, but its success didn't just come out of nowhere. The other two films that make up his new record are Michael Bay's 6 Underground, coming in at number 9, and the comedy thriller Red Notice, which recently became Netflix's number 1 most-watched movie. The fact that 6 Underground hasn't reached number 6 just feels like a cruel prank by a joyless universe.
Now, this doesn't mean that Reynolds has shot above and beyond his peers, even though this is definitely a significant accomplishment. In fact, he was tied with Sandra Bullock for a time, with both actors boasting 2 of Netflix's top 10. Bullock still holds that honor, with her hit The Bird Box sitting comfortably at number 3 and crime drama The Unforgivable settled in the number 5 spot. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising to see her eventually be the second to hit the same landmark as Reynolds.
The Adam Project, directed by Reynolds' frequent collaborator Shawn Levy, sees Reynolds' character traveling back in time and meeting his younger self while on a potentially world-saving mission. Interestingly enough, the film also earned Levy a distinction of his own. He's currently the only director to have a film on Netflix's top 10 movie list while also directing a show on the service's top 10 series list. That show just so happens to be a quaint little cultural phenomenon known as Stranger Things. That's not to mention how both Levy and Reynolds are currently working on the third Deadpool movie. Momentum really is a heck of a drug.
Regardless of one's feelings about Reynolds as an actor or very prominent personality, this is still an achievement worth noting. Even with so many streaming services out there, Netflix holds a lot of clout. So topping their charts is certainly no small feat.
The Adam Project is available to stream on (surprise, surprise) Netflix.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter