Chris Pratt’s Sci-Fi Flop Just Turned Into a Streaming Sensation

Well, here’s a twist: Chris Pratt’s latest sci-fi movie—which bombed in theaters not that long ago—has suddenly become one of the most-watched films on Amazon Prime Video. If you missed all the box office drama (don’t worry, most people probably did), now’s your chance to catch up on Mercy, a film that’s apparently decided to skip the 'critical darling' phase and just go straight to streaming domination.

‘Mercy’ Pulls a 180 on Prime Video

After barely making a ripple at the box office, Mercy has shot up to number one in Prime’s U.S. movie rankings, according to FlixPatrol. This happened on March 23, 2026—the same day it muscled past some big titles like Shrek 2, A Minecraft Movie, Scream, and The Wrecking Crew. Not exactly the shortlist of movies you expect a flop to topple. That same day, it also snagged the third spot on Prime’s overall U.S. top 10, which covers both movies and TV shows.

So what’s the story here? Is everyone just that bored, or was Mercy always underrated? Let’s dig in.

Box Office vs. Couch Office

When Mercy opened in theaters back on January 23, 2026, it was supposed to be a big deal. Timur Bekmambetov (the director) and Chris Pratt starring in a near-future thriller, plus a production budget north of $60 million—sounds like a solid bet, right? Not so much. The movie’s global haul ended at about $54.5 million, so even before marketing, that’s a loss on paper. Ouch.

But here’s the weird part: barely three months later, Mercy has found its audience online. Maybe people just prefer watching Chris Pratt sweat under artificial lighting from the safety of their living rooms—who knows.

The Plot (Because You Probably Haven’t Seen It)

Here’s the rundown: the movie is set in the near future. Chris Pratt plays Detective Christopher 'Chris' Raven, who finds himself in a serious bind after being accused of murdering his wife. Naturally, he claims he’s innocent. (Classic.) The catch? He has only a limited window to prove it—because the fate of his case isn’t in a normal courtroom, but in the hands of an advanced artificial intelligence judge (played by Rebecca Ferguson, as Judge Maddox).

While Raven races against the clock, we meet:

• Kali Reis as Jacqueline 'Jaq' Diallo (think tough cop sidekick vibes)
• Annabelle Wallis as Nicole Raven
• Chris Sullivan as Robert 'Rob' Nelson
• (And a handful of other faces in supporting roles)

Critics Really Couldn’t Stand It—But Fans Disagree

Maybe you remember hearing that Mercy was a critical dud. That’s totally fair. It’s sitting at a dire 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 178 critic reviews. Not the kind of number you put in a press release. But things get more interesting if you look at what viewers actually thought: over on the Popcornmeter (that’s Rotten Tomatoes' audience score), it pulls a solid 83%. So either audiences and critics saw totally different movies, or this is just one of those films that hits better at home.

'It’s clear Mercy is connecting with viewers in a way it never managed in theaters.'

At this point, it’s almost more entertaining to watch a movie’s fortunes turn around on streaming than in theaters. Mercy is proof: just because something lands with a thud at the box office doesn’t mean it’s dead—sometimes it’s just waiting to become your new late-night binge.