A Beloved Karl Urban Action Movie Is Finding A New Audience On Max

More than a decade after it failed to find its audience in theaters, a now-beloved sci-fi/action movie is finding a new audience on streaming. "Dredd," released in 2012 and starring Karl Urban as the titular Judge Dredd, has become a hit on Max since making its way back to the streaming service recently. So much so that it's become one of the most-watched movies on the service overall.

"Dredd," as of this writing, is sitting in the number two spot on Max's most-watched movie chart, per FlixPatrol. It trails only Michael Keaton's 2024 starring vehicle "Goodrich." It's also sitting comfortably above other one-time hits such as Tom Holland's video game adaptation "Uncharted" and "Speed," among others. One key difference here is that many of the movies in the streamer's top ten right now were successful in their day, including the "Final Destination" franchise, which has several entries on the list. That wasn't the case for Urban's ill-fated comic book adaptation.

Directed by Pete Travis, "Dredd" is based on the very popular "2000 A.D." comic book series. This is also the same comic that inspired Sylvester Stallone's poorly regarded "Judge Dredd" movie in the '90s. Travis and screenwriter Alex Garland, of "28 Days Later" and "Civil War" fame, however, managed to deliver a truly thrilling, kickass, streamlined action flick set in a wonderfully realized dystopian future. The only problem? Audiences largely ignored it when it came out.

For those who may need a little refresher, the film centers on Dredd (Karl Urban), the most feared of all the judges, who are futuristic cops with the power of judge, jury, and executioner. He is assigned to train rookie Cassandra (Olivia Thirlby) and they're quickly called to investigate a deadly crime at 200-story slum controlled by a vicious drug lord named Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). They capture someone from her inner circle and Ma-Ma locks down the compound. Bullets fly and chaos ensues.

Despite earning very solid reviews and being received incredibly well by those who did see it, the movie failed to drum up much business. Against a $45 million budget, "Dredd" made just $41 million at the box office worldwide, cementing it as a bomb. It's a prime example of a great movie getting a raw deal, which can feel frustrating to viewers who would like to see more stuff like this from Hollywood studios.

Fortunately, in the years since its original release, people have caught up with "Dredd" and have at various points called for a sequel. In 2017 we learned that a TV show called "Judge Dredd: Mega-City One" was in development that Urban had expressed interest in starring in. It never materialized, nor did another feature film. That's unfortunate, but it also makes it all the more satisfying to see this gem finding its audience all these years later. There is at least some justice in the world.

You can also pick up "Dredd" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.