Ryan Reynolds might be in the midst of a lengthy hot streak after helping to steer the Deadpool duology, Detective Pikachu, Free Guy, 6 Underground, Red Notice, and The Adam Project to either box office or streaming success, but for a long time his track record in the big budget arena was terrible, with R.I.P.D. the undoubted nadir.
The comic book adaptation was the latest in a worryingly long line of high-profile duds for the actor, following in the unwanted footsteps of Blade: Trinity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern, but all three of those colossal misfires look like The Godfather compared to the unyieldingly appalling supernatural buddy cop action comedy.
Which is a crying shame, because the prospect of seeing Reynolds and Jeff Bridges (in full gunslinger mode, no less) partner up for a $130 million blockbuster that was broadly sold and marketed as “Ghostbusters meets Men in Black” had the potential to deliver a rollicking ride at the multiplex, which it ultimately did not to put it lightly.
A 12% Rotten Tomatoes score makes for grim reading, while R.I.P.D. cratered among audiences for good measure, managing to recoup a paltry $78 million globally. When all was said and done, Universal were reported to have taken a $100 million hit on the project, which saw it ascend to infamy as one of the biggest box office bombs in history.
And yet, it’s always proven to be a reliable performer on streaming, and R.I.P.D. is back at it once again. As per FlixPatrol, the dismal disaster has sneaked onto the platform’s global most-watched list, and has even reached the heights of fourth spot on the Canadian charts.