Apple’s small streaming service tends to get is deleted by the mainstream press as something of a Also, such disdain is generally the result of third-party metrics for Apple TV+’s small viewership. But for this week, at least, the streamer can say it has one of the biggest movies in the entire streaming landscape. And all it took was spending the big bucks for it to land The Instigatorsa comedy heist drama from Matt Damon, Casey Affleck and director Doug Liman.
This snapshot of the top streaming movies for the 7-day period ending August 14 comes from the streaming search engine Reelgooda service that tracks 20 million viewing decisions each month across every streaming platform in the US. The final snapshot of the week’s top 10 streaming movies includes:
- The Instigators (Apple TV+)
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Hulu)
- The Bikeriders (Peacock)
- Deadpool 2 (Disney+)
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Netflix)
- Tornado (Max)
- challengers (MGM+)
- IF (Paramount+)
- Deadpool (Max)
- Wicked Little Letters (Netflix)
That’s not really that interesting of a list if you ask me, as evidenced by the lack of original movies from any of the major streamers — with the exception of The Instigators on Apple TV+.
I’ve written about this often, but the fact is that when it comes to original feature films, the general public seems to increasingly dislike what streamers have to offer. Netflix’s latest big movie The Unionstarring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, is one of many examples I could point to. Likewise, despite the number 1 viewing this week, The Instigators still plagued by poor critical and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes (41% and 58%, respectively).
Regarding the film’s plot, Apple summarizes it as follows: “Rory (Matt Damon) and Kobe (Casey Affleck) are reluctant partners: A desperate father and an ex-con who come together to pull off a heist of ill-gotten gains profits of a corrupt politician.
“But when the heist goes wrong, the two are plunged into a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by the police, but also by backward bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses. Completely out of their depth, they convince Rory’s therapist (Hong Chow) to join them on their tumultuous escape into the city, where they must put aside their differences and work together to avoid capture — or worse.”
Is there something about trying to repackage the movie experience into a small screen format that gets lost in translation? I suspect it’s a mixture of that feeling, like the original movies that streamers keep giving us fall short compared to a season of TV you can actually sink your teeth into. Whatever the reason, though, it’s a shame. I don’t want to live in an entertainment world where feature films are just an afterthought to the streamers that took Hollywood by storm in the first place.
