Hayden Christensen's R-Rated Crime Thriller Movie Is A Global Netflix Hit 19 Years After Box Office Success

1 week ago 13

Published Jan 29, 2026, 3:40 PM EST

Adam Bentz is a senior news writer at ScreenRant, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and lists. He studied creative writing and English with a concentration in screenwriting at Southern New Hampshire University and interned as a writer/journalist for The Borgen Project, an influential organization that fights global poverty.

However, one of his proudest achievements is editing a Leonardo DiCaprio freakout compilation that has over 150K views on YouTube. Adam also fancies himself an amateur film reviewer on his website.

Nearly two decades after its box office success, Awake has become a global hit on Netflix. Starring Hayden Christensen, best known as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (2002-2005), the R-rated conspiracy thriller was released in theaters in November 2007 and saw modest box office success, making $32.7 million worldwide against its $8.6 million budget.

Now, 19 years later, Awake ranks 10th on Netflix's Top 10 movies in the world for today, January 29, per FlixPatrol. It ranks below The Rip at No. 1, Skyscraper Live, The Big Fake, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, Max, People We Meet on Vacation, Trap, No Time to Die, and From the Ashes: The Pit in ninth place.

For this week, Awake is on Netflix's Top 10 in a total of 25 countries across Europe, Africa, Oceania, and the Caribbean. While it isn't available on Netflix in the United States, Awake is streaming for free on Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, and Fawesome.

Written and directed by Joby Harold in his directorial debut, Awake stars Hayden Christensen as a wealthy young man who remains awake yet is unable to move during heart surgery, a complication called anesthetic awareness, and slowly discovers a conspiracy that puts his life, and his faith in those closest to him, at risk. At the same time, his wife grapples with her own inner struggles.

Other than Hayden Christensen in the lead role, the cast also includes Jessica Alba as his wife, Oscar nominees Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Lena Olin (Enemies, A Love Story), Nathalie Efron, Fisher Stevens, Arliss Howard, Emmy nominee Christopher McDonald (Hacks), Georgina Chapman, two-time Emmy nominee David Harbour (Stranger Things), Sam Robards, and Steven Hinkle.

Despite its box office and streaming success, Awake was met with largely negative reviews at the time of its release, resulting in a terrible 23% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics claiming that it has a compelling concept, but could have had sharper performances and more streamlined direction and editing. It also received mixed reactions from audiences, receiving a 55% score from that group.

Awake received two Razzie nominations – Worst Actress for Jessica Alba and Worst Screen Couple for her and Hayden Christensen.

Roger Ebert's review was much more positive than the critical consensus, giving the film three out of four stars and commending it for captivating audiences amid unfavorable publicity, writing in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times:

Accuracy is not the point. Suspense is. And from the moment Clay realizes he is not fully under anesthesia and can hear and feel everything that is happening, the movie had me... I did not anticipate the surprises, did not anticipate them piling on after one another, got very involved in the gory surgical details, and found the supporting soap opera good as such things go.

While Awake wasn't a blockbuster back in 2007, it was a modest success given its budget. Similarly, by ranking last on Netflix's Top 10 movies worldwide, it's not a huge streaming hit, though its recent resurgence is notable, and it has a chance to climb the chart in the coming days.