Denzel Washington’s 87% RT Crime Remake Is a Global Streaming Hit

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Despite initially failing in cinemas, the 2025 crime thriller featuring Denzel Washington is now a popular success on Apple TV+, finding an audience months after its original release.

The crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest has been gaining popularity on Apple TV in the U.S., according to FlixPatrol. Over the past week, it’s moved quickly up the Top 10 Movies chart, jumping from the No. 10 spot to nearly the top at No. 4.

The crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest is currently ranked No. 5 globally on Apple TV. It’s behind four other popular shows that were released in 2025: F1, Eternity, The Gorge, and Fountain of Youth.

Highest 2 Lowest Is a Remake of a Classic Akira Kurosawa Film

Highest 2 Lowest is an English-language adaptation of the 1963 Japanese film High and Low, directed by Akira Kurosawa. That film was originally based on the 1959 novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain, and the screenplay for this remake was written by Alan Fox.

This film is a modern retelling of Kurosawa’s classic, now set in the gritty world of New York City. Denzel Washington plays David King, a hugely successful music producer with an incredible talent for discovering new artists. When King becomes the target of a kidnapping plot, he’s forced to confront a difficult moral crisis that could cost him everything.

Highest 2 Lowest marks the fifth time Lee and Washington have worked together. They last collaborated in 2006 on the film Inside Man. Prior to that, they created He Got Game (1998), Malcolm X (1992), and Mo’ Better Blues (1990) together.

Even though many anticipated seeing Washington and Lee back together, their new movie, Highest 2 Lowest, didn’t perform well in theaters. The opening weekend was so poor that the studios, A24 and Apple Studios, didn’t even share the official box office results. Within a month of its release in cinemas, Highest 2 Lowest became available to stream on Apple TV.

What’s Ahead for Denzel Washington?

I’m really excited for Washington’s next film, Here Comes the Flood! It’s a heist thriller with Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones, which sounds amazing. Fernando Meirelles is directing, and Simon Kinberg wrote the script. They finished shooting back in January 2026, after filming for about three months in a bunch of different locations – Jersey City, Hoboken, Newark, Atlanta, and New York City. It sounds like it was quite the production!

Chadwick Boseman’s estate is working with Marvel Studios on Black Panther 3. The actor briefly mentioned his involvement in the third Black Panther film back in November 2024, and director Ryan Coogler confirmed last year that it would be his next project, fully supported by Marvel.

Denzel Washington announced he’s working on a new project, which will reunite him with director Antoine Fuqua. They are also collaborating on a Netflix film about the historical figure Hannibal.

Highest 2 Lowest is available to stream on Apple TV.

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2026-02-25 00:06