A24 Dystopian War Film Becomes Streaming Hit After $122M Box Office Success

Civil War has become a streaming hit after its box office success earlier this year. Directed by Alex Garland, the A24 dystopian war film follows three journalists, played by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and Cailee Spaeny, as they journey across a war-torn United States in order to document the fall of Washington D.C. Civil War‘s reviews were generally positive from critics, and the film became a box office success, grossing $122.6 million worldwide.

New data from Reelgood now reveals that Civil War was the second most popular movie on streaming in the U.S. for the week of September 19 – 25. The film, which is available to stream on Max, is beaten only by The Penguin (2024), coming before titles like Agatha All Along (2024) in third place and High Potential (2024 –) in fourth place.

His Three Daughters (2023) comes in at number five while Rebel Ridge (2024) occupies sixth place. In order to number 10, the rest of the list includes The Old Man (2022 –) Challengers (2024), The Perfect Couple (2024), and The Fall Guy (2024).

What Civil War’s Streaming Success Means For The Movie’s Overall Performance

How The A24 Film Fared Critically & Commercially

Garland’s latest movie is budgeted at an estimated $50 million, making it the most expensive A24 movie ever produced. The gamble evidently paid off, and Civil War broke an A24 record in its opening weekend, raking in $25.7 million. A film with a $50 million budget would traditionally be looking at a break-even point of $100 million to $125 million. According to Variety, however, A24 was able to sell the distribution rights to foreign markets ahead of release, meaning the company recouped some of its investment before the film even started screening, and it’s undoubtedly been a financial success.

As far as critical reception, the movie, as seen in the chart above, currently holds a strong 81% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, earning praise for its strong performances and unflinching portrayal of war. The audience score of 70% suggests a more lukewarm response from general movie-goers and this is also reflected in the film’s Metacritic user score. This is likely due in part to Civil War‘s ambiguity in terms of the central conflict, as well as expectations that the film would be a more traditional war epic instead of a smaller-scale look at journalists’ experience during such a conflict.

Civil War
earned a B– CinemaScore, which also suggests a somewhat mixed response from audiences.

Why Civil War Was Divisive For Audiences

The Film’s Alliances Caused Confusion

Civil War was a controversial film before it was even released due to some key information revealed in the trailers and, of course, its general premise. The film features an alliance between Texas and California and, for some viewers, this evidently felt a little too far-fetched. Together, Texas and California comprise the Western Forces in Civil War, and the only information the film provides regarding why these two politically divided states are allied is really more implied than explicitly explained.

In the world of the film, Nick Offerman’s President character violates the Constitution and abuses his power, essentially becoming a dictator. It’s this abuse of power that leads to Texas and California putting aside their differences, and some were clearly hoping for more details regarding the film’s alliances and the specific events that led to the titular civil war starting. Garland would address the alliance complaints in an interview with Screen Rant earlier this year, making his feelings plain:

I personally think questions
are
answered. There’s a lot of things that are clearly answered. There is a fascist president who smashed the Constitution and attacked [American] citizens. And that is a very clear, answered statement. If you want to think about why Texas and California might be allied, and putting aside their political differences, the answer would be implicit in that. So I think answers are there but you have to step to it and not expect to be spoon fed these things.

Criticisms regarding the film extended beyond just the alliances and war backstory, however, with some also feeling that the marketing was misleading. Some clearly, for example, were not expecting such a journalism-focused story, while others have taken issue with a general lack of all-out warfare. Many of the combat sequences shown in the trailer, for example, happen during Civil War‘s extended ending sequence, with the rest of the film playing out more as a road trip through various war-torn areas.

Our Take On Civil War’s Streaming Success

Is It A Sign Of A24’s New Direction?

Though the audience response may have been somewhat mixed, it’s clear that Civil War is a popular viewing choice at home. The premise alone is surely enough to attract viewers, and Spaeny has also only become a bigger star since the movie’s release, recently leading the cast of Alien: Romulus (2024), which has been a major success in theaters.

A24 is well-known for its challenging and often unsettling films, and Civil War accomplishes this but on a much larger scale. Since the movie was a hit in theaters and continues to be a major draw on home-viewing platforms, it’s possible that the studio will be looking to make more big-budget movies in the future.

If the films continue to be thought-provoking and auteur-driven, like Civil War was (and is), then this could certainly be an exciting shift in direction. A24 movies being made on a smaller scale, however, is also sometimes part of their charm, and why they can end up feeling so fresh and exciting. If A24 chooses to pursue a greater number of bigger-budget films in the future, it should also continue to let lesser-known and less experienced filmmakers tell their own stories, as a number of truly unique gems have come from this approach.

Source: Reelgood