Voltage Pictures
Movies inspired by the iconic ‘Die Hard’ have practically become a genre of their own. John McTiernan’s renowned 1988 action film has probably generated more copycats than any other Hollywood movie. Action movie enthusiasts, for instance, understand that “Speed” is fundamentally “Die Hard on a bus,” and its sequel, “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” was originally intended to be “Die Hard 3” before its script was declined in favor of the “Die Hard with a Vengeance” script. “Cliffhanger” is “Die Hard” on a mountain, “Air Force One” is “Die Hard” on a plane. In fact, the film continues to inspire today’s movies like Netflix’s thriller “Carry-On,” a Christmas action movie which is essentially just “Die Hard 2” with Taron Edgerton and Jason Bateman.
While many of these derivative works are fantastic action films, the “Die Hard” recipe doesn’t always yield great results. Consider “Aftermath,” a recent film starring Dylan Sprouse that’s essentially “Die Hard” on a bridge … but not quite as good. The movie, directed by Patrick Lussier, who co-wrote “Terminator Genisys,” features Dylan Sprouse as a former Army Ranger trying to rescue his sister and other hostages from a group of ex-military contractors and their unhinged leader, who have trapped them on Boston’s Tobin Bridge.
The movie also stars Mason Gooding, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s son and one of the co-leads of the trendy and charming slasher rom-com “Heart Eyes,” who portrays the villain in “Aftermath.” Regrettably, initial reactions to the film aren’t overly positive, but as long as people are watching, why worry? That’s precisely what’s happened with “Aftermath,” as Netflix subscribers have catapulted this latest “Die Hard” clone to the top of the most-viewed movie chart.
Aftermath conquers the Netflix charts
Voltage Pictures
“Aftermath” made its Netflix debut on February 10, 2025, and immediately began climbing the charts. According to FlixPatrol, a site that monitors streaming viewership figures across various platforms, “Aftermath” ascended to the number two spot in the United States on February 11 before reaching number one the next day. Quite an achievement for a film without a single Top Critic review on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, that’s not the whole story. “Aftermath” is also performing well in several other countries, reaching number one in Australia, Canada, Malta, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom on February 12, 2025. Interestingly, it debuted at number one on the charts in Australia and New Zealand and appears set to claim the top spot in Ireland, where it currently ranks second.
It remains to be seen whether “Aftermath” will chart in other countries. However, regardless of whether you believe a new streaming “Die Hard” clone was necessary just weeks after “Carry-On” delivered the 2024 version of “Die Hard 2,” there’s no denying that this is a significant streaming boost for the Dylan Sprouse-led action film. Unfortunately for Sprouse, his movie isn’t charting in enough countries to make the worldwide Top 10 yet, but that could change as the week progresses.
Aftermath’s Netflix dominance faces competition and dismal reviews
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At the time of writing, there are no Top Critic reviews for Aftermath available on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s a bad sign in and of itself, but things get even worse if we take a look at the audience reviews. “It’s really bad, like really bad,” writes one viewer, while another labelled the film “confusing, convoluted, fake, ridiculous, poorly acted and lacking investment in central characters.” In fairness, not every audience member’s take was as derisive. In fact, there are a few three and four-star reviews for “Aftermath” on Rotten Tomatoes, with one audience reviewer writing, “Really gives that 80s action movie vibe,” while another described the film as a “great action movie that reminded me a lot of the Die Hard series” — though someone else did describe the film as “visual cancer,” which is a bit of a shame.
So, we turn to social media, where audience reactions are also starting to pile up. Unfortunately, things don’t look too good for “Aftermath” here, either, with users decrying the CGI as “horrible” and offering this insight: “This #Aftermath movie is giving AI asf.” That said, there are a few fire emojis to speak of in the reactions, so not everybody felt the same. Ultimately, the most important and relevant reaction came from another user who asked the pressing question, “Which Sprouse twin on this ‘Aftermath’ movie on Netflix?”
Meanwhile, in order to hold onto its number one position, “Aftermath” will have to fend off Amy Schumer’s new comedy “Kinda Pregnant,” which topped the Netflix charts before being dethroned by Dylan Sprouse. Schumer is now number two in the United States, but if more and more people start catching on to the fact that “Aftermath” is “giving AI asf,” she might just be able to retake the top spot. Elsewhere, Cameron Diaz’s first film in 11 years, “Back in Action” is the Netflix movie that refuses to die. After maintaining a spot on the charts for three weeks, the film has jumped three spaces to retake number six in the U.S., suggesting that it could be making another run and setting up the ultimate battle between Diaz and that one Sprouse twin.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
