Whether you’re a fan of her broad comic stylings or not, it can’t be denied that Melissa McCarthy is a proven box office draw, and has been since her breakout turn in Bridesmaids fourteen years ago. Identity Thief, The Heat, Spy and several more all earned a big profit in theaters, while she’s also shown herself to be a talented dramatic actress after scooping two Academy Award nominations.
Of course, McCarthy’s worst movies tend to be the ones directed by her husband Ben Falcone. Tammy, The Boss, Life of the Party and Superintelligence all wound up with Rotten Tomatoes scores between 21% and 38%, and Netflix superhero comedy Thunder Force is currently at the lower end of that particular list with a rating of just 23%.
That being said, it’s a big effects-driven superhero comedy on the world’s most popular streaming service with a recognizable star in the lead, so it was always going to play well with the platform’s 200 million subscribers. Therefore, it isn’t a shock to discover that Thunder Force is already the most-watched title in the library despite only being added yesterday.
McCarthy and Octavia Spencer play two childhood friends who accidentally end up with superpowers after a scientific experiment gone wrong, forcing them to team up and save Chicago from a gang of supervillains known as The Miscreants. The two leads are being widely praised for their performances, but it seems to be everything else that’s letting Thunder Force down. Of course, it’s poised to dominate the Netflix most-watched list for at least a few days given the star power on display and high concept premise, but it’ll probably fade from the public consciousness shortly afterwards.