Why Karl Urban's New Swashbuckling Action Movie Is Topping Streaming Charts In America & Worldwide

3 days ago 6

Karl Urban at the world premiere of 'The Bluff'

Published Mar 6, 2026, 6:00 PM EST

Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant, CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more.

Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor.

He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre.

To learn more, visit his website at shawnlealos.net.

Karl Urban has a new Prime Video release that is topping the charts, and it deserves a watch for anyone who loves pirate movies. Urban has made a big name for himself on Prime Video thanks to his lead role in The Boys, which is preparing to release its last season. However, he hasn't slowed down making movies on the side.

Karl Urban's New Movie Tops Prime Video's Streaming Charts In America & Worldwide

Priyanka Chopra as Ercell Bodden fighting Karl Urban as Captain Francisco Connor in The Bluff

According to FlixPatrol, The Bluff shot to the top spot in the most-watched Prime Video charts. One week after its release, The Bluff still sits in the number one spot, ahead of movies like Blacklight, My Mother's Wedding, Bad Man, and more. The Bluff also sits as the fourth-most-watched, including streaming series.

On top of the United States' most-watched Prime Video movies, it has also reached the top of the charts in several territories around the world, including Canada, Germany, France, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Whether it is for Karl Urban, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, or the pirate genre, interest remains high for the new movie.

Why The Bluff Is Worth Watching

The Bluff has mainly average scores, but there are plenty of reasons to recommend the pirate series to fans. The swashbuckling film stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Ercell Bodden, a former pirate known as Bloody Mary. She lives in peace on an island with her child, but her life is about to be turned upside down.

Karl Urban is Captain Francisco Connor, a pirate with a grudge against Bodden, and someone searching for stolen gold. When he learns she is on the island, it starts an all-out war between Bodden and Connor's crew. Critical reviews have the movie sitting at 62% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Screen Rant's Gregory Nussen wrote:

"[Frank E.] Flowers and [Joe] Ballarini's screenplay reveals its deeper messaging on how colonial violence bleeds into the people it terrorizes, inevitably perpetuating a cycle of bloodshed... The Bluff is adventurous and surprising, with just enough innovation to find its own treasure."

As for audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a similar 64% rating, with positive reviews praising the cast, and specifically Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Most reviews that didn't praise The Bluff just mentioned it felt too familiar, but for a movie in a neglected pirate genre, that isn't always a bad thing.