Chris Pratt’s 24% RT Score Sci-Fi Flop Is Already Streaming Online

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Chris Pratt’s new sci-fi thriller, Mercy, recently finished its run in theaters and is now available for streaming. Despite Pratt previously promoting the film as a 2026 must-see, it wasn’t successful with audiences or critics. Mercy earned only $52.7 million worldwide during its theatrical release, with $23.4 million of that coming from domestic sales. Critics weren’t impressed either, giving the film a low 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a lukewarm B- score from viewers.

Despite only being in theaters for 25 days, Chris Pratt’s new sci-fi thriller, Mercy, is now available to buy or rent online in the U.S. through major digital platforms. The film, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, didn’t perform well in theaters.

In this futuristic thriller, Chris Pratt plays Detective Chris Raven, who finds himself on trial for his wife’s murder. The judge isn’t a person, but an artificial intelligence that Raven himself helped develop. At the Mercy Capital Court, Raven has just 90 minutes to convince the AI of his innocence, or he’ll be sentenced to death.

The movie received a lot of criticism for several reasons. Many viewers found the plot predictable and the acting weak, except for Chris Pratt’s performance. The way the story was told also felt flawed, as it unnecessarily kept the main character sidelined. Additionally, some found the film’s positive portrayal of artificial intelligence and strong support for law enforcement to be out of touch, considering the current debates surrounding those topics.

Big Hollywood movies usually need to make about 2.5 times their production cost just to begin making a profit. Variety reports that Amazon spent $60 million on Mercy, meaning it needed to earn around $150 million to break even. Based on its performance in theaters, it appears to have lost nearly $100 million.

Amazon is likely hoping to make back some of the $100 million it lost recently through increased digital sales and rentals, as well as physical copies of the movie Mercy when it becomes available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD.

We don’t know exactly when Mercy will be available to stream for free, but it will probably be on Amazon Prime Video. The Accountant 2, another film from Amazon MGM Studios, became available to Prime Video subscribers about a month and a half after its release. If Mercy follows a similar timeline, it could be added to Prime Video sometime in March.

Amazon’s Back-to-Back Thriller Flops Highlight Hollywood’s Theatrical Problem 

It was obvious Amazon wasn’t confident about its early 2026 movies, as they offered a special deal to Prime members: tickets to both Mercy and Crime 101 for only $20. Mercy performed poorly in theaters, and Crime 101 had a terrible opening weekend, bringing in just $28.3 million globally despite costing $90 million to make and starring two actors famous from the Avengers movies.

Although both films underperformed in theaters, Crime 101 was predicted to do better than Mercy because people were talking about it more positively. It received a “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes with critics giving it an 86% approval score, and audiences gave it a “B” grade on CinemaScore.

It’s unclear when Crime 101 will be available to stream, but based on its initial performance in theaters, it will likely be available for digital purchase or rental around mid-March, similar to the release of Mercy.

Amazon’s two new crime thrillers boast a stellar cast, including Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, and Barry Keoghan – all actors known for leading successful blockbuster franchises.

It’s becoming harder for original movies – those that aren’t part of an established franchise – to succeed in theaters. Last year, only a few non-franchise films did well: F1: The Movie, Sinners, Weapons, and The Housemaid. F1 benefited from being tied to a popular sport, and The Housemaid was based on a well-known novel.

Movie theaters are facing challenges these days. Rising costs and the popularity of streaming services mean people are less likely to go unless it’s a well-known franchise or a film everyone’s talking about. However, even those aren’t guarantees of success – we’ve seen both big-budget Marvel movies like Captain America: Brave New World underperform and critically acclaimed films like One Battle After Another struggle, all in the same year.

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2026-02-18 00:35