A Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Movie Is Dominating Max's Streaming Charts

The best sci-fi movies usually mirror some aspect of our contemporary world. "Dune" did it with its grim predictions of ecological warfare and the folly of humanity pinning its hopes on some messiah, "Blade Runner" exposed us to a dystopian technocratic future that continues to feel like it could easily become a reality, and the "Terminator" movies have basically come to represent the popular understanding of AI and the technological singularity. But what if a movie really drove the point home with an on-the-nose approach that actually blended real-world footage with fictionalized scenes set in a dystopian future designed to represent the outcome of today's political and social unrest? Apparently, such a thing would become a streaming hit.

The dystopian landscape of the streaming most-watched charts are enough to convince anyone we're already living in a nightmare future, but depending on how you feel about Asif Kapadia's "2073," there might be some light cutting through those blackened, smog-laden streaming skies. This 2024 film is unique for blending a fictional science fiction narrative with real news footage and interviews to create a docu-drama that is about as nuanced in its approach as a Terminator is in its approach to murdering John Connor.

"2073" is inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 featurette "La Jetée," which focuses on a man living in a post-apocalyptic future who revisits his past during an experiment in an attempt to save the world from its bleak fate. Kapadia's film similarly follows the survivor of some unseen cataclysmic event as she navigates the crumbling world around her. Between these dramatized scenes, news footage and documentary sequences are intercut, including interviews with journalists and activists. It's a creative way to tell a story, for sure, and now it's managed to capture the attention of Max subscribers.

"2073" takes place in that very year and focuses on Ghost (Samantha Morton), a woman living in a deserted shopping center in "New San Francisco" 37 years after "The Event." Ghost is, as her name suggests, very much living off the grid, and does everything she can to stay off the streets of this horror world in which a surveillance state has been erected in place of civil society. Current-day footage of climate catastrophes and police cracking down on protestors is used to depict this gloomy future, which is overseen by none other than Ivanka Trump, who's referred to as "Chairwoman" in the film. Ghost doesn't speak but we hear her internal monologue, and at one point she says, "I hope someone finds this."

Well, now someone has: Streaming viewers. Like most streaming charts, Max has been a bit of a mixed bag of late, but some notable films have managed to break through. One of the best Marvel comic book movies, "Logan" was dominating the Max charts for a while, and prior to that, Rachel Zegler's very funny sci-fi flop "Y2K" was having a Max moment. Now, however, "2073" has brought something very different to the rankings, not only charting but actually dethroning "Y2K" to take the top spot.

"2073" hit Max on April 7, 2025 and it didn't take long for it to start climbing the charts. According to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks and aggregates streaming viewership data, the film debuted on the Max top 10 on April 10, 2025, hitting the number three spot. That's not a bad debut, especially considering the docu-drama then jumped to the number one position on April 11, where it sits at the time of this writing. Whether the film can remain at the top of the charts remains unclear, but if so, it will be an impressive little run for the under-seen "2073."

"2073" did get a small theatrical release in the U.S. and U.K. but only made about $50,278 at the box office. Critics weren't exactly bowled over, either, with the film gaining a mere 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Monica Castillo's review for RogerEbert.com summarizes "2073" as "a slick video essay within the trappings of a sci-fi movie," but ultimately claims "there's not enough narratively to grab audiences beyond the scaremongering." Tim Cogshell was far more direct in his review for FilmWeek, writing, "I don't buy any of it. If you want to make a documentary, make a documentary."

Still, "2073" did manage to win over some critics. In his review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote that the docu-drama was "certainly a relevant shout of rage against the authoritarian forces despoiling our democracy and our environment — and the bland and complacent naivety that's letting it happen."

Clearly the Max crowds are embracing Asif Kapadia's unique film, though they also embraced "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" which is currently in the number five spot. Still, it's nice to see something a bit different at the top of the Max charts, which only recently were dominated by one of 2024's worst horror movies. Just how long viewers will stick around for Asif's overt comment on our current socio-political state and what he sees as its logical outcome remains to be seen, but hitting number one on Max is certainly success of a sort.