Brad Pitt's 161-Minute Blockbuster Is One of the Biggest Streaming Hits in the World Ahead of Netflix Sequel

As Netflix gears up for the release of one of Brad Pitt‘s most anticipated sequels of the year, the one that started the whole craze has become a streaming success. Featuring the revisionist vision of Hollywood’s modern enfant terrible, this 161-minute film delivered audiences a captivating journey through cinema’s transition into the late 1960s, and it had an underappreciated movie hero save the world. Actually, “world” might be too much. Make that Hollywood itself.

‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ Changes History (Literally)

The film is Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio’s brilliant 2019 comedy-drama mashup. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, it follows faded Western star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double and best friend Cliff Booth (Pitt) as they face the new dynamics of Hollywood and see their careers affected by a shifting industry. As Dalton’s career hits a wall, he and Booth become central figures in one of the most infamous crimes to occur in Hollywood history: the Tate–LaBianca murders.

Aside from its two impressive leads (it earned Pitt an Oscar), the film features a star-studded cast that includes Margot Robbie, Austin Butler, Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Timothy Olyphant, and Sydney Sweeney, among many others. It was Luke Perry’s final movie before he passed away in 2019.

Released in July 2019, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood grossed $409.4 million against a budget of $96 million. The film received critical acclaim, with many highlighting Pitt’s performance as a standout. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a critics’ score of 86%, one of the highest ratings for Pitt and DiCaprio.

During the awards season, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood was also hailed as successful, winning two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Pitt) and Best Production Design. At the Golden Globes, it won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, as well as Best Supporting Actor (Pitt again) and Best Screenplay.

Pitt Returns as Cliff Booth, Courtesy of Netflix and David Fincher

In just a few weeks, Pitt will return to the big screen as Cliff Booth in The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. The feature film is set to be released in theaters on November 25 before debuting on Netflix on December 23. It is the official sequel to Tarantino’s film, but he only wrote the screenplay this time and passed directing duties to David Fincher

The Netflix sequel sees Booth evolve beyond his job as a stuntman. When he isn’t serving drinks or projecting films, Booth works as a “fixer” who can take care of any problem using the abilities he previously showed when facing the Manson family. Aside from Pitt, Olyphant returns to play actor James Stacy, but the rest are all fresh faces. Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Peter Weller, and Carla Gugino are all part of the new cast.

Before the release of the sequel, audiences are rediscovering the original on streaming, where it has now become a hit. According to the latest update to the charts, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is one of the most-watched movies on Prime Video in the United States. Sitting at No. 4 in the top-10 list, the film ranks above other titles such as Jack Reacher, The Passenger, and Rust.