Margot Robbie & Will Smith Crime Thriller Claims No. 1 Spot On Netflix Charts

At one point, Will Smith was the biggest movie star in the world. While he had a bit of a PR snafu (to put it lightly) a couple of years ago when he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, he's recovered well in the eyes of the public, given the success of this year's "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" at the box office. Margot Robbie, meanwhile, is about as big as modern stars get, with her rise to stardom culminating in last year's mega-hit "Barbie." So, what happens when you put these two big stars in a movie together? You get a number one hit on Netflix. It just so happens that the movie in question was made nearly a decade ago.

2015's "Focus," directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, recently made its way to Netflix and instantly shot to the top of the most-watched movie charts. As of this writing, the film is sitting firmly in the number one spot on Netflix, above other movies such as the Netflix original "Meet Me Next Christmas" and 2022's rom-com success "The Lost City." It's the latest example of a studio movie that had seemingly been forgotten by much of the general public finding new life on Netflix. It's always interesting to see these movies rise above streaming originals, given the resources that Netflix and other companies pour into their own projects.

For those who haven't seen it or perhaps just need a refresher, "Focus" centers on Nicky (Smith), a seasoned grifter who becomes romantically involved with a novice con artist, Jess (Robbie). As he's teaching her what he knows, she gets too close and he decides to break it off. Three years later, she shows up again as Nicky is in the middle of his latest, dangerous scheme, throwing the expert con man off his game.

When this film hit theaters in 2015, it was a relatively modest success. Against a reported $50 million budget, "Focus" pulled in $159 million at the global box office. It wasn't the barn burner that Smith has often been associated with in his career, which is perhaps why it was viewed as a so-so success in its day. But a decade later, the idea of an original, adult-focused dramedy like this doing that kind of business feels almost special. Today, these types of movies mostly fall into three categories: They get made for streaming, they fail to find their audience in theaters, or they don't get made at all.

It's also an interesting time capsule of sorts as it represents a turning point for both of these A-list stars. The following year, both Smith and Robbie would star alongside one another in David Ayer's "Suicide Squad," which pulled in nearly $750 million worldwide despite earning pretty terrible reviews. That's important because Smith was coming off a bit of a rough patch in his career, which included flops like "After Earth" and "Winter's Tale." He needed a hit, and teaming with Robbie, he got two.

As for Robbie, she stunned in a big way in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" in 2013, which was just her second major film role. "Focus" was her follow-up, and it showed that she could hold her own alongside a big star like Smith, just as she had done with Leonardo DiCaprio. That helped set up a big run for her that included other hits like "I, Tonya," "Peter Rabbit," and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." It all culminated with "Barbie," which now ranks as one of the biggest movies in history.

Taking all of that into account, it's not surprising that audiences are very interested in seeing Smith and Robbie in a movie together, even if that movie is far from new. Given what's happened in the years since "Focus" first came out, it feels much more significant than it did at the time.

"Focus" is streaming now on Netflix, or you can grab a copy of the movie on Blu-ray via Amazon.