Liam Neeson's Worst Action Sequel Makes a Surprise Comeback

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Liam Neeson on the red carpet for 'The Naked Gun'

Published Feb 15, 2026, 9:01 AM EST

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

Following the success of David Koepp's debut novel, Cold Storage, the acclaimed screenwriter behind the Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, and Mission: Impossible franchises was destined to adapt his own work for the big screen. Fast-forward seven years, and Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell are starring in the movie adaptation of Cold Storage, which debuted in theaters nationwide this weekend. Alongside Keery and Campbell, the film stars Liam Neeson in another blend of action and comedy following the success of his 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun.

As a man as talented in comedy as he is in action and drama, Neeson is a truly versatile actor, with his presence in Cold Storage sure to help it reach a wider audience. Having starred in some of the best movies of the past three decades, the Academy Award-nominated Neeson has a broad filmography featuring many gems, with Cold Storage looking like the latest. However, not every movie Neeson has appeared in has worked, with one of his worst currently finding surprising streaming success on a free platform.

At the time of writing, Taken 3 is the most-streamed movie on Tubi in the U.S., outperforming the likes of Madea Goes to Jail, The Longest Yard, and the critically acclaimed Fried Green Tomatoes. Directed by Olivier Megaton, the threequel received the worst reviews in the franchise, including an abysmal 13% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' consensus on the site reads, "Hampered by toothless PG-13 action sequences, incoherent direction, and a hackneyed plot, Taken 3 serves as a clear signal that it's well past time to retire this franchise."

'Taken 3' Continued the Franchise's Box Office Run

Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace talk in a bathroom in 'Taken 3.'

After the first movie turned a $25 million budget into $226 million worldwide, the second Taken installment turned a heftier $45 million production budget into an impressive $377 million. Taken 3, despite scathing reviews, completed the set, earning $327 million worldwide against a production budget of $48 million. The threequel became the 23rd highest-grossing movie at the 2015 box office, and is still one of 20th Century Fox's 100 highest-grossing movies ever. A synopsis reads:

"Ex-covert operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) and his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), are enjoying a reconciliation when Lenore is brutally murdered. Bryan is framed for the crime and flees, with the CIA, FBI and police all in hot pursuit. For the last time, he channels his rage and particular set of skills into hunting down Lenore's real killers, taking his revenge and protecting the one important thing left in his life: his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace)."

Taken 3 is streaming on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.