The Underrated Jamie Foxx Action Thriller Heating Up On Netflix
Just three years after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in "Ray," Jamie Foxx would bring his considerable talents to the 2007 action thriller "The Kingdom," playing the lead role of Special Agent Ronald Fleury. Taking inspiration from several real-life terrorist incidents like the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing and the 2004 Khobar massacre, "The Kingdom" centers around a team of United States Special Agents who are sent to investigate the bombing of an American oil facility in Saudi Arabia.
Helmed by Foxx, this exciting war film is rounded out by a star-studded cast that includes Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Kyle Chandler, and Tim McGraw, and features some spectacular action sequences, like when the Special Agents quickly battle their way through the neighborhood of Al-Suwaidi. In spite of the film's star power and explosive action, "The Kingdom" was a mild box office flop, grossing just $87 million on an estimated budget of $70-72.5 million.
Despite the decidedly lukewarm reception the film received upon release, "The Kingdom" has actually enjoyed a remarkable rise in popularity since it arrived on Netflix on June 1, 2023, recently entering Netflix's list of "Top 10 Movies in the U.S. Today." Currently, "The Kingdom" sits at number 10 on this list, right behind the Kevin James-led "Zookeeper." Though it has yet to enter Netflix's Global Top 10, the film's arrival on this list indicates that "The Kingdom" is extremely popular among American subscribers, and that it has the potential to climb even higher in the rankings during the coming weeks.
Fans online have praised The Kingdom since its arrival on Netflix
"The Kingdom's" unprecedented success on Netflix is perhaps a reflection of the stark contrast between the film's mediocre critical reception (currently holding a 51% Critical Rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and its surprising popularity among mainstream audiences (earning a 76% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 250,000 user ratings).
Indeed, fans on Twitter have been heaping praise on the film ever since it returned to Netflix's catalog on June 1, making it clear that they have a much higher opinion of "The Kingdom" than most critics. "The Kingdom is still one of Jamie foxx' top movies," Tweeted @AboveAllNormz. "The kingdom on Netflix is sooo good," echoed @Ms_Fancy101. Others like @ThumpySpence referred to the film as a "classic," and agreed that "The Kingdom" is one of Jamie Foxx's most memorable to date.
The online praise that this film has received since joining Netflix is an indication that "The Kingdom" has the potential to become even more popular in the coming weeks, especially as more and more people see the film on the "New and Popular" tab. The film's surprisingly high audience score and remarkable Netflix resurgence make it clear that this maligned action thriller is actually an underrated gem — one that plenty of subscribers are willing to give a second chance now that it has arrived on streaming.