Jake Gyllenhaal & Rebecca Ferguson’s Forgotten Sci-Fi Horror Resurrects As Worldwide Streaming Smash 8 Years Later

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Originally released in theaters eight years ago with little success, this sci-fi horror film has recently become a popular streaming sensation. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds, and was directed by Daniel Espinosa.

Despite a weak performance in cinemas, the movie Life is now proving popular with viewers on HBO Max, currently ranking as the platform’s second most-watched film. It’s only behind The Conjuring: Last Rites, and ahead of other titles like Bring Her Back, Broke, and Drop.

Completing the top 10 list are A Carpenter Christmas Romance (2024), Alita: Battle Angel (2019), Ford v Ferrari (2019), Red One (2024), and The Last Duel (2021). As December continues, we can expect to see even more Christmas and holiday movies climb into the top 10.

Life isn’t a feel-good movie; it’s a scary story about scientists on the International Space Station who face a rapidly evolving creature from Mars. Critics and audiences had mixed reactions to the film, and it currently has a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers scoring it even lower at 55%.

The movie Life didn’t perform well with audiences, and that’s reflected in its box office numbers. Although it cost about $58 million to make, it only earned $100 million worldwide. In Hollywood, a movie typically needs to make roughly double its production budget to break even, meaning Life likely needed around $145 million – and it didn’t come close.

I’m so excited about this film, especially with Hiroyuki Sanada and Ariyon Bakare joining the cast! It’s amazing to see Rebecca Ferguson’s career really take off – I remember when Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation came out in 2015, she was fantastic! Since then, she’s been in so many great things – The Greatest Showman, another Mission: Impossible film, Doctor Sleep, and the Dune movies were all incredible. And now she’s leading Silo on Apple TV – she’s truly become a huge star, and I can’t wait to see her in this new role!

Jake Gyllenhaal has consistently chosen diverse roles, appearing in films like Okja (2017), Stronger (2017), Wildlife (2018), The Sisters Brothers (2018), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Ambulance (2022), and the 2024 Road House remake. Ryan Reynolds, besides Deadpool vs. Wolverine (2024), has focused on big, mainstream blockbusters such as Free Guy (2021), Red Notice (2021), The Adam Project (2022), and Spirited (2022).

While Life might not be remembered as a groundbreaking sci-fi film, its recent popularity on streaming services highlights the strength of its cast. Reynolds, Gyllenhaal, and Ferguson have all become more well-known since the movie came out, and their combined presence clearly draws viewers on HBO Max.

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2025-12-05 19:03