Over the last decade, Jason Statham‘s star has ascended to arguably its highest point ever, thanks largely to his involvement in a string of big budget blockbusters. For one, he took second billing behind Sylvester Stallone in all three entries in the Expendables franchise, which combined to earn over $800 million at the box office.
He also became part of the Fast & Furious family, lending support in two consecutive billion-dollar hits before getting his own spinoff alongside Dwayne Johnson in Hobbs & Shaw, while creature feature The Meg hauled in more than $530 million globally and is receiving a sequel that starts production early next year.
However, his bread and butter action thrillers that tend to see Statham embark on a rampage of revenge as either a grieving family man or a double crossed, betrayed or left for dead member of a military, law enforcement or criminal organization don’t tend to pull in quite the same numbers. In fact, his recent collaboration with Guy Ritchie in the violent Wrath of Man is his second highest-grossing star vehicle since 2009 after bringing in over $80 million theatrically to date – though it hasn’t even been released in his native United Kingdom yet.
It’s also one of his better efforts, eschewing the typical Jason Statham formula to tell a grittier and altogether darker tale, weaved together via a fractured narrative and pinballing timeline. Wrath of Man was made available on VOD last weekend, and it’s already become one of the most popular titles on streaming, having rocketed to the top of the Amazon charts. Clearly, fans will never get tired of seeing the leading man do what he does best, which is just as well because he’s got no intention of slowing down.