The Netflix Top 10 most-watched list is a curious beast. It’s almost impossible to predict which titles from the vast content library will end up experiencing an unexpected resurgence, as recently shown once again by forgotten sci-fi film Skylines.
The third installment in the surprising franchise was first added to the platform back in March, where it promptly found a sizeable new audience. Not content with doing it once, Liam O’Donnell’s low budget effort has only gone and done it again, reaching as high as the third position a couple of days ago.
Skylines was originally sent straight to VOD at the end of last year and it wouldn’t be too harsh to say that it failed to make much of a splash. The first film arrived in 2010 and was a sleeper hit after earning almost $70 million at the box office on a minuscule production budget, but it quickly faded from memory.
Sequel Beyond Skyline went straight to video and was a sizeable improvement upon its predecessor in almost every way, not least due to the presence of proven badasses and action veterans Frank Grillo and Iko Uwais to anchor the set pieces. Skylines follows a ragtag group of elite soldiers as they battle against a virus that threatens to turn friendly aliens into enemies, setting them off on an adventure into the farthest reaches of space.
It’s hardly a groundbreaking setup, but the critical consensus has pegged Skylines as being worthy of a 52% Rotten Tomatoes score, which is hardly awful. Strangely, though, audiences have rated it at a much lower 28%, despite the fact it’s scored new life on Netflix for a second time in just over three months.
