Netflix Users Are Running Out of Time To Watch the Best Hunger Games Replacement

by

The early 2010s saw a surge in popularity for young adult dystopian movies. Following the huge success of series like Harry Potter and Twilight, several new movie franchises were launched and found their own audiences.

If you’re a fan of The Maze Runner movies, you’ll want to watch them on Netflix before January 3, 2026, as they’ll be leaving the platform then. The trilogy became popular as a similar adventure to The Hunger Games, following young people on risky quests.

Based on James Dashner’s 2009 book, the movie series was directed by Wes Ball and produced by Noah Oppenheim. Dylan O’Brien played the lead role of Thomas, alongside Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, and Patricia Clarkson.

The film series began in 2014 to enthusiastic reviews and strong ticket sales. The first movie was made for $34 million but earned $348.3 million, a return ten times its production cost. Critics approved of it 66% of the time, while audiences gave it a 68% rating.

After the first film found some success, I was curious to see where the series would go with 2015’s Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. Director Wes Ball returned, thankfully bringing back the original cast, and they added some great new faces like Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Barry Pepper, and Lili Taylor. The studio clearly had faith, increasing the budget to $61 million – and it paid off at the box office with over $312 million worldwide. However, while financially successful, the film itself didn’t quite resonate with critics or audiences. It landed a ‘Rotten’ score of 47% from critics and only a slightly better 54% from viewers – a bit of a letdown, honestly.

The last movie in the Maze Runner series, The Death Cure, finally came out in 2018 after being delayed several times, even affecting its lead actor. The film reunited the original cast, and Walton Goggins, known for Fallout, joined them. Although it had a $62 million budget and earned $288.2 million, it was the lowest-performing film in the series financially. Like the second movie, critics weren’t impressed, giving it a 42% rating, and audiences were only slightly more positive at 58%.

The Maze Runner Is Getting Rebooted

Lots of popular franchises from the past are being brought back with sequels, reboots, or new series. Netflix is working on a continuation of Midnight Sun, and The Lord of the Rings will also be expanded. We’ve already seen The Hunger Games get two prequel movies, and The Maze Runner is set to return as well.

A new Star Wars film is planned for May 2024, with an interesting approach. The director of the original trilogy will be back as a producer, and Jack Paglen is writing the screenplay. While it’s a reboot, it won’t simply restart the story or continue directly after the original trilogy. Instead, it aims to build upon the original while also revisiting the elements that made the first film so popular. There haven’t been any further announcements since then.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Maze Runner news

Subscribe to our newsletter for Maze Runner news

When you sign up, you’ll receive emails about our newsletter and special offers, and you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can stop receiving these emails at any time.

The Maze Runner trilogy leaves Netflix on Jan. 3, 2026.

Read More

2025-12-26 01:09