The 2017 Adam Driver heist movieLogan Luckyhas become a streaming hit on Netflix, which has often gone underappreciated among the actor’s acclaimed action roles. Directed by theOcean’s Trilogy’s Steven Soderbergh,Logan Lucky’s cast united some big Hollywood names to portray the Logan family and their associates, including Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, and Katie Holmes. The movie wasa resounding success with critics, currently boasting a 92% score onRotten Tomatoes.However,Logan Luckyfell short at the box office after earning only $48 million against an estimated $29 million budget.
Now, almost exactly seven years later,Logan Luckyhas received a welcome resurgence in popularity as it joins Netflix’s top 10 trending movies in August 2024. The movie originally premiered while Adam Driver was still portrayingKylo Ren in theStar Warssequel trilogy, with many of his preceding projects consisting of supporting roles, the HBO comedy showGirls, and critically acclaimed dramedies.Logan Luckytherefore finally gave Driver a leading non-franchise blockbuster action role to shine in alongside an ensemble cast, and it remains one of his greatest action genre achievements.
Logan Lucky Is Now Trending On Netflix – Why You Should Watch Adam Driver’s 2017 Heist Movie
Logan Lucky Brought Steven Soderbergh Out Of Retirement To Outstanding Critical Acclaim
Theacclaimed Steven Soderbergh movieLogan Luckyfollows the Lucky family as they enact a heist to steal money from North Carolina’s Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jimmy Logan (Tatum), his brother Clyde (Driver), and sister Mellie (Keough) recruit a criminal notorious for his safe-cracking skills for their robbery, but the family still faces heat from the FBI and race security while their plan is in motion. WithLogan Lucky’s star-studded cast, smart direction from Soderbergh, and acompelling concept reminiscent ofOcean’s Eleven, the movie is a great example of high-octane, entertaining fun in blockbusters.
Logan Luckymarked the return of Steven Soderbergh after his retirement from directing, proving that he hadn’t lost any of the keen direction and vision that yielded entertaining hits like theOcean’s Trilogy andMagic Mike. Soderbergh has a great mastery of the brooding, dark thriller subgenre, andLogan Luckyreaffirmed that the director could extend beyond the confines of theOcean’s Trilogy to deliver a fun, well-crafted, and entertaining blockbuster action movie. The gamble paid off with critic and audience adoration, asLogan Luckyholds a 92% score from critics and a 76% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
With its stellar cast and story,Logan Luckyremains one of the most underrated action comedies of the past decade.
The movie is not only an excellent follow-up to theOcean’s Trilogy, but also boasts incredible performances by its talented cast. Daniel Craig gets to strip his 007 mask and tackle a wildly fun criminal role, Tatum highlights more of his acting depth while exuding the same charm that made hisMagic Mikeexploits more layered and compelling, andDriver shines in a scene-stealing hilarious, deadpan performancethat emphasizes exactly why he was nominated for an Oscar the following year forBlackKklansman. With its stellar cast and story,Logan Luckyremains one of the most underrated action comedies of the past decade.
Daniel Craig’s 92% Fresh Comedic Role From 7 Years Ago Proved How Great Knives Out Would Be
Daniel Craig owes his success in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out and Glass Onion to his underrated role in this 2017 comedy with 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Why Logan Lucky Flopped At The Box Office (Despite Great Reviews)
Logan Lucky Didn’t Manage To Double Its Budget
Logan Lucky’s newfound popularity on Netflix in 2024 is a disappointing reminder of how underappreciated the movie was when it originally hit theaters in 2017. Despite having hit actors like Adam Driver and Channing Tatum in lead roles, the cast and critical acclaim weren’t enough to guaranteeLogan Luckybecoming a blockbuster smash. Instead,Logan Luckyonly earned approximately $48.5 million at the box office against its estimated $29 million budget(viaBox Office Mojo).
Steven Soderbergh revealed that he had planned to make a prequel toLogan Luckyabout Daniel Craig’s character Joe Bang, but the movie was later scrapped.
One reason forLogan Lucky’s less impressive box office performance is that the film wasn’t distributed by a major studio. Rather, it was released through Bleecker Street and Soderbergh’s own Fingerprint Releasing, givingLogan Luckya comparatively smaller distribution than other 2017blockbusters likeBeauty and the Beast, Driver’s ownStar Wars: The Last Jedi, and It. However,Logan Luckydidn’t need to be a blockbuster hit to be a success, as the movie had reportedly already earned back its budget through international presales and a deal with Amazon prior to opening weekend (viaIndiewire).
The disappointment ofLogan Lucky’s opening was part of a larger issue, as it was released amid one of the worst Labor Day weekends at the box office in almost two decades.
According toTheWrap,Soderbergh revealed thatLogan Luckyneeded only a $15 million opening weekend to be a commercial success. However, the movie ultimately didn’t hit this mark. Instead,Logan Luckyopened to less than $8 million, only accumulating half of what was required from its opening weekend. The disappointment ofLogan Lucky’s opening was part of a larger issue, as it was released amid one of the worst Labor Day weekends at the box office in almost two decades.
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Logan Luckyalso debuted alongsideThe Hitman’s Bodyguard, withWind RiverandAnnabelle: Creation’s releases giving it additional competition. WithLogan LuckyandThe Hitman’s Bodyguardboth appealing to similar target audiences as action comedies with A-lister stars, it makes sense that one was overlooked upon their releases. Ultimately, the star-studded cast ofThe Hitman’s Bodyguardemerged victorious with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson at the lead. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the movie provided fun blockbuster entertainment with Lionsgate behind its distribution, bestingLogan Luckyfor a $183 million box office haul.
Logan Lucky Is Still One Of Adam Driver’s Highest-Rated Movies On Rotten Tomatoes
Logan Lucky Boasts A 92% Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score
Logan Luckymay not compare to his massive blockbuster smashes like theStar Warstrilogy, but it does rank high amongAdam Driver’s best movies. The Steven Soderbergh heist film holding a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes makes it one of Driver’s highest-rated movies on the review aggregator site. However, Driver has several critical hits, soLogan Luckysurprisingly doesn’t even make it into his top three highest-scoring movies on Rotten Tomatoes. More specifically,Logan Luckyis tied for his fifth-highest movie scorealongsideFrances Ha(2012) andInside Llewyn Davis(2013).
How Logan Lucky Compares To Steven Soderbergh’s Other Heist Movies
Logan Lucky Joins A Celebrated Group Of Steven Soderbergh Heist Movies
While theOcean’s Trilogy achieved substantial box office success and positive reviews, Steven Soderbergh’sLogan Luckyhas greater critical acclaim.Logan Luckyholds a 92% score compared toOcean’s Eleven’s 83%,Ocean’s Twelve’s 55%, andOcean’s Thirteen’s 70% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, the worldwide box office totals for the trilogy came out at approximately $451 million, $363 million, and $311 million, respectively.
94%
$77 million
83%
$451 million
55%
$363 million
70%
$311 million
92%
$48.5 million
N/A
Soderbergh’s 2021 heist movieNo Sudden MovetiesLogan Luckywith a 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but forewent a theatrical release for direct-to-streaming on Max. However, none of these heist films have beaten the critical response to Soderbergh and George Clooney’s 1998 movieOut of Sight, which boasts a 94% score. LikeLogan Lucky,Out of Sightwasn’t a box office hit, as it only earned about $77 million against an estimated $48 million budget.
LikeOut of Sightmaking George Clooney a movie starandLogan Luckytriumphantly bringing Soderbergh out of retirement, two of the director’s best heist movies surprisingly didn’t land well at the box office.Logan Luckycombines the critical acclaim, depth, and profound themes of Soderbergh’s other heist movies, proving he can make a fun and entertaining action thriller like theOcean’s movies that has the layers and cadence of his darker heists inOut of Sight.Logan Luckyfinds Soderbergh at a happy medium for his celebrated heist movie approaches.
Logan Lucky
Cast
Logan Lucky is a comedy-heist film by Steven Soderbergh, the director behind the Ocean’s Eleven series. The Logans are a blue-collar family from the hills of West Virginia, and their clan has been famous for its bad luck for nearly 90 years. But the conniving Jimmy Logan decides it’s time to turn the family’s luck around, and with a bit of help from his friends, the “Redneck Robbers,” he plans to steal $14 million from the Charlotte Motor Speedway on the busiest race day of the year.
