Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm land a streaming smash with their hilarious comedy

I know, it's 2026, and somehow Tag—yes, the Jeremy Renner slapstick one from ages ago—has shot up the streaming charts on HBO Max. Not exactly the film I expected people to rediscover, but here we are. While Renner plays 'Hawkeye' for Marvel and does the odd, gritty drama, he also managed to front this ensemble comedy that nobody's been able to dodge lately.

Tag has been in HBO Max's top 4 for 19 straight days.

Streaming Surge for Tag

This is all off the back of some cold numbers from Flix Patrol, who say Tag currently sits at number 4 in HBO Max's movie rankings—just behind The Drama, Mortal Kombat 2, and The Strangers: Chapter 2. Must be a big month for sequels and the occasional out-of-nowhere revival.

To put it in perspective, Tag originally came out in June 2018, and it wasn't exactly a runaway smash back then. The film raked in $14.9 million its first weekend, with a grand total around $54 million in the US and another $23.5 million overseas—brings the worldwide tally to about $78 million on a $28 million budget. Not bad, not brilliant, just solidly middle-of-the-road. Almost the film equivalent of office banter: good fun while it lasts, but probably not the thing you remember at Christmas.

An Oddball Ensemble

One thing Tag had going for it right out the gate was its cast—a sort of Hollywood pub quiz answer with Renner, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, and a few other familiar faces if you squint. Even critics who were otherwise only half-convinced couldn't deny the on-screen chemistry. You can see why it's having a second life in living rooms now—it's the sort of film that works better when you're half paying attention and looking for a laugh.

The ratings, though, landed straight in 'average' territory. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 55% from critics and 57% on the audience side. Most of the praise mentioned the group's dynamic; the plot itself—about a group of mates who've been playing the same game of tag for decades—probably wasn't breaking new ground for cinema.

Broken Bones and On-Set Antics

As for trivia, there's a bit worth repeating. Renner apparently snapped both his arms during a stunt involving a chair—true method acting, or just bad luck, depending who you ask. Talking to Entertainment Weekly before the film dropped, Renner recalled thinking something was 'off', and after a quick hospital visit:

They said it was broken, so I got them wrapped up, and then I went back to work.

That sums up the making of Tag rather neatly. Broken bones, big cast, middling box office, and now, oddly enough, a sleeper streaming hit in 2026.