Matt Damon’s Rip-Roaring Sci-Fi Blockbuster Is a Streaming Superhit (Again)

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Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him).

Not a month goes by without director Ridley Scott's blockbuster film The Martian dominating the streaming charts. It remains one of the most entertaining mainstream movies of the last few years, and certainly among the most rewatchable. A key reason behind its success was star Matt Damon's Oscar-nominated performance as the protagonist, a stranded astronaut who relies on his wits and intellect to survive on Mars while his colleagues at home orchestrate a rescue mission. The Martian remains Damon's top-grossing film as a leading star, although it'll probably be overtaken in a few months by Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Most recently, The Martian found a spot on the domestic Paramount+ viewership charts, according to FlixPatrol.

The movie celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. It grossed over $630 million at the global box office during its theatrical run, against a reported budget of around $110 million. The Martian was critically acclaimed, and is currently sitting at a "certified fresh" 91% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "Smart, thrilling, and surprisingly funny, The Martian offers a faithful adaptation of the bestselling book that brings out the best in leading man Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott." Besides the Best Actor nod for Damon, the movie also scored nominations in the Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. The Martian was based on a bestseller by Andy Weir, who also wrote Project Hail Mary, which was adapted into an upcoming movie directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and starring Ryan Gosling.

Matt Damon and Ridley Scott Collaborated Again

Damon previously appeared in supporting roles in two movies directed by Nolan, both of which earned more at the box office — Interstellar and Oppenheimer. More recently, he starred alongside Casey Affleck in the Apple TV original The Instigators, and will headline The Rip along with his longtime friend and creative partner Ben Affleck next week. Damon and Scott collaborated again on the period drama The Last Duel, which earned stupendous reviews but tanked at the box office. Also co-written by Damon alongside Affleck and Nicole Holofcener, the movie made just $30 million against a reported budget of $100 million. Like The Martian, it warrants a rewatch.