The Liam Neeson 2026 sci-fi movie you skipped is now a streaming hit

Liam Neeson and killer fungus. You wouldn’t think that’s the sort of combination that slips by unnoticed, but that’s exactly what happened with Cold Storage, a sci-fi thriller that barely made a ripple at the box office earlier this year. Now, though, the film’s suddenly rocketing up the US streaming charts, which is a bit better than the muted fanfare it got in cinemas. Evidently, infectious fungus can take a while to spread—at least on MGM+.

Quiet Cinema, Loud Streaming

Here’s the bare bones: Cold Storage had its US debut back in February (13th, for the diary keepers among you). In the end, it made a touch over $4 million domestically. Not disastrous, but given the production had a reported $10 million budget—and that’s if you trust the low end, because other numbers have it ballooning to $30 million—it was hardly the next Contagion.

Skip forward to July, and things are finally getting lively for Neeson and co. The film’s just climbed to the fourth spot on MGM+’s Top 10, overtaking droves of other movies and shows in the process. Only The Westies, From, and Project Hail Mary are faring better at the moment.

Deadly Fungi, Reluctant Retirees, and a Solid Cast

If you’ve missed it so far, Cold Storage does the following: Neeson plays a retired bioterrorism expert who gets yanked back into action. His mission? Alongside two younger colleagues—cue generational banter—they’re up against a rather nasty fungus that’s managed to get loose from its secret underground lab. Honestly, it sounds a bit like a high-stakes episode of Casualty with more goo and guns.

• Director: Jonny Campbell
• Screenwriter: David Koepp, who actually adapted it from his own 2019 novel (always handy when the author’s on hand to clarify which fungus goes where)
• Leads: Liam Neeson, Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon
• Supporting cast includes: Vanessa Redgrave, Lesley Manville, Darrell D'Silva, Daniel Rigby, Rob Collins, Ellora Torchia, Andrew Brooke, Richard Brake, Aaron Heffernan, Gavin Spokes

Frankly, that’s a stronger supporting cast than most recent Oscar nominees. There are more familiar faces wandering around in this lab than you’d expect for a fungal outbreak movie.

'A Smart but Familiar B-Movie Throwback'

Critics and viewers seem to have actually enjoyed themselves, which isn’t always a given with this type of B-movie premise. The film holds an 81% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 75% approval from audiences—so it’s not just my inner sci-fi nerd having fun.

The official verdict, direct from the site's critics consensus: 'a smart but familiar B-movie throwback' that 'delivers campy performances, gooey splatter, and wry sci-fi wit with infectious enthusiasm.'

At just 99 minutes, it doesn’t outstay its welcome, either. All in all, a tidy creature feature that seems to have finally found the right audience late in the game.