Why Prime Video's New #1 Movie Is Taking Over The World (The Sci-Fi Thriller Was A Box Office Flop)

There’s a new sci-fi thriller movie finding great success on Prime Video, as it’s quickly climbed to the top of the service’s streaming charts. Amazon’s streamer has no trouble attracting viewers to its new releases, whether they are originals created for Prime Video, movies released by Amazon MGM in theaters, or older titles from a variety of catalogs.

If you have been on Prime Video recently or head there today, you’ll see a new movie that’s trending as more and more subscribers check it out. This new film is a sci-fi thriller with two major stars who are very familiar with the genre, told through an unconventional lens, with a story that invokes comparisons to Tom Cruise’s classic, Minority Report.

When laid out like that, perhaps it should be no surprise that this movie is taking over the world.

The #1 movie on Prime Video right now is Mercy, an original sci-fi thriller starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. Pratt stars as Chris Raven, a cop who wakes up in an AI-run court program, called Mercy, and is the top suspect in his wife’s murder. He has 90 minutes to convince Ferguson’s Judge Maddox, an AI, that he is not guilty or be executed.

Mercy made its debut on Prime Video on Sunday, March 22 and quickly surged to the top of the streamer’s movie charts. As of today, Monday, March 23, it is not only the #1 movie in America, but it is the overall top-trending movie worldwide, according to FlixPatrol.

In the United States, Mercy is the third-most popular title overall, only trailing hit TV shows, Scarpetta and Invincible. But it tops the movies-only chart, where it is ahead of Sinners, Melania, Prime Video’s former #1 movie The Bluff, and another new addition in Roofman.

The popularity that Mercy has achieved is just what Amazon MGM had hoped for. But the success the film is now having is a new experience for it, as Pratt and Ferguson’s thriller struggled to capture audiences’ attention previously.

Why Mercy Is So Successful On Streaming (But Wasn’t In Theaters)

©Amazon MGM Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection

Amazon MGM originally released Mercy in theaters two months ago on January 23. With stars from the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World franchises and the Dune series, the movie had hopes of being a hit. It was even released in IMAX to try and eventize the film, which is told almost exclusively through screens as Chris is trapped in a chair.

But Mercy failed to land in theaters. It only opened to $10.8 million in its first weekend domestically; it finished with a worldwide box office total of $54.5 million, which is under the reported $60 million budget, making it a big financial loss for Amazon MGM.

A key reason for that may have been the reviews, as the Rotten Tomatoes score is very low, sitting at 25%. ScreenRant‘s Gregory Nussen gave it a 4 out 10 in his Mercy review. The overwhelming negative reviews focused on its views on AI, the limits of its framing, Pratt’s performance, and the ultimate themes and execution of the story as some of its many problems.

And while that may have turned people off from seeing Mercy in theaters, its ease of availability on Prime Video changes the story. It’s much easier to take a chance on the film from the comfort of your couch on a streaming service you already pay for than going to the theater and risk being disappointed.

Audiences have been more welcoming to the film, with it having an 83% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes as of the time of this writing. The verified audience reviews call it suspenseful, action-packed, and gripping. Many also note they appreciate the big twist in Mercy‘s ending and how the movie kept them on their toes.

Pratt and Ferguson’s involvement is undoubtedly a reason for its success on streaming, too. Prime Video subscribers have already enjoyed Pratt in The Terminal List or his 2021 sci-fi movie, The Tomorrow War. Meanwhile, Ferguson has a large contingent of fans from Silo, Mission: Impossible, and other projects. People know their faces and typically like their work, making it easier to click on the title.

For anyone looking for a relatively quick entry into the sci-fi genre that tackles AI and government surveillance, typically enjoys the main stars as performers, and is willing to overlook some flaws, Mercy could be a worthy addition to your watchlist. Watching it now will contribute to it continuing to find success on Prime Video for days or weeks to come.