A Stephen King Sci-Fi Movie Bomb Has Taken America By Storm For 6 Weeks On Streaming

2 weeks ago 11

Lee Pace's McCone blowing a kiss from a helicopter in The Running Man

Published Feb 24, 2026, 12:15 PM EST

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

Stephen King's books have helped Hollywood deliver some incredible movies over the years. These offerings are usually of the horror variety, such as IT or The Shining, but the literary genius has also branched out into several other genres. The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are pure dramas, while The Dark Tower mixes sci-fi and fantasy.

The genre variance of King's works was on full display again in 2025, as his books inspired a horror comedy, sci-fi action, sci-fi drama, and fantasy drama. None of them really lit up the box office, leaving streaming as another path for them to reach audiences on a broader scale. That's exactly what last year's star-studded sci-fi action bomb has done.

Glen Powell's The Running Man Has Dominated On Paramount+

Ben Richards looking angrily to the side as two guards restrain him in The Running Man

Glen Powell and director Edgar Wright teamed up to bring a fresh version of The Running Man to audiences last year. Coming on the heels of Arnold Schwarzenegger's adaptation of King's book of the same name in 1987, expectations were high that the film would be a huge hit for Paramount in theaters.

The remake has now proven to be incredibly popular on streaming. The Running Man debuted at No. 1 on Paramount+ when it made its streaming premiere on January 13. And that's pretty much where it has stayed for over an entire month in America. It hasn't fallen out of the top 10 for six weeks.

It temporarily lost its top spot last week when The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants premiered on the streaming service (via FlixPatrol). The animated film held the top spot from February 18 to February 22 following its debut on the 17th. But after those five days, The Running Man reclaimed the top spot on February 23 and remains there today.

So, for the last six weeks, The Running Man has been the No. 1 movie on Paramount+ consistently. Subscribers keep checking out the action movie, allowing it to experience a new level of success that it previously deserved but did not get.

Why The Running Man Has Been So Popular On Streaming (But Wasn't In Theaters)

Glen Powell speaks directly into the camera in a scene from The Running Man

Rather than having this streaming success come on top of a lucrative theatrical release, The Running Man struggled to find an audience in theaters. It only made $68.6 million at the box office worldwide against a reported $110 million budget. Paramount banked on Powell's movie star status and Wright's excellent track record to help sell tickets, but that didn't pan out.

With the sci-fi action comedy now on streaming, many of the reasons someone wouldn't watch The Running Man in theaters are now gone. For starters, there's the convenience factor of it being available at home. It's much easier to press play while scrolling for something to watch on streaming, especially when a star like Powell is front and center.

People are also more likely to overlook mixed critical reviews (which The Running Man received, giving it a 62% Rotten Tomatoes score) when they can queue up a movie "for free" on a streaming service they already subscribe to, versus paying to see it in theaters. Those looking for a solidly entertaining action thriller will be pleased with what the remake has to offer.

Action movies like The Running Man typically do quite well on streaming, so its continued success on Paramount+ in America shouldn't be too much of a surprise. In this case, the lack of interest in theaters was clearly not a sign that people weren't interested in seeing the movie completely. Most just preferred to wait until it was available on streaming.