Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy has reached 100% of her brain capacity and has officially landed on Netflix.

Written and directed by the French filmmaker Luc Besson (Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element), the sci-fi action film was released in theaters in 2014 and became a big box office hit that made $469 million worldwide, over 11 times its modest $40 million budget.

Now, over a decade later, Lucy is officially streaming on Netflix in the United States. It’s one of several movies added to the streaming service today, on April 1, also including The Age of Adaline, Along Came Polly, American Gangster, Atonement, Bohemian Rhapsody, Kindergarten Cop, five Mission: Impossible movies, and Smokey and the Bandit.

Lucy follows the titular character as she is kidnapped by thugs and turned into a drug mule, but when she is surgically implanted with a package containing a powerful chemical, it leaks into her bloodstream, giving her superhuman abilities, including telekinesis and telepathy, turning the tables on her captors.

In addition to Scarlett Johansson in the lead role, the movie also stars Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pilou Asbæk, Lio Tipton, and Nicolas Phongpheth.

How Was Lucy Received?

Lucy received mostly positive, but also polarized reviews, resulting in a 67% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics claiming that it skates over its logic gaps with campy thrills and Scarlett Johansson’s charisma, and largely pulls it off with an energetic and knowingly over-the-top tone. Lucy has a much more mixed 47% audience score.

However, many critics considered the plot to be incoherent, especially its reliance on the myth that humans only use 10% of their brain capacity, and that unlocking the other 90% results in increased intelligence and abilities. For instance, Christopher Orr of The Atlantic called it the “dumbest movie ever made about brain capacity.”

However, writer-director Luc Besson’s goal wasn’t to make “a documentary about the brain,” but instead wanted to make an entertaining movie that touches on scientific and ethical issues. His intention was to make “an action film with a purpose,” Besson says.

Lucy’s History Of Streaming Success Explained

In addition to being a big box office hit, Lucy also has a history of streaming success. In 2024, it ranked eighth on Netflix’s Global Top 10 movies for the week of August 19–25, and a year later, it made it to the No. 4 slot on the platform’s top 10 films in the United States on April 10.

Most recently, in January 2026, Lucy reemerged as the No. 4 movie in the world on HBO Max, though it is not available to stream in the United States. After leaving Netflix for some time, Lucy is officially back on the streaming service and will surely continue its success.

Release Date

July 25, 2014

Runtime

90minutes

Director

Luc Besson

Writers

Luc Besson

Franchise(s)

Lucy