HitmanandHitman: Agent 47both become global hits on Netflix. Based on the video game series of the same name, the 2007 film follows Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47, a professional hitman genetically engineered to be an assassin who gets caught in a political conspiracy and is pursued by multiple government agencies. A reboot, titledHitman: Agent 47, followed in 2015 with Rupert Friend taking over as the titular assassin. Bothadaptations of the video gamereceived overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and audiences.
Now, Timothy Olyphant’s critically panned video game movie and its 2015 reboot have both becomeNetflixhits.HitmanandHitman: Agent 47ranked ninth and seventh on Netflix’s Global Top 10 for the week of September 23-29 with 3.1 and 3.5 million viewsand 4.9 and 5.6 million hours viewed, respectively. The video game adaptations rank amongAmerican Assassin,Sing, andTrollson the lower half of the chart.
How Hitman & Hitman: Agent 47 Were Received
They Were Received Overwhelmingly Negatively
Hitman, directed by Xavier Gens and written by Skip Woods, garnered predominantly negative reviews for featuring an unfortunate mix of excessive violence, convoluted plot, and senseless dialogue. Whileits incoherent plot was a major source of criticism, it did receive some praise forTimothy Olyphant’s performance. Overall,Hitmanholds a horrible 16% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and 57% from audiences. Nonetheless, the video game adaptation achieved box office success, earning over $101 million against its $24 million budget.
Hitman 3: Will A Third Movie Happen?
Hitman 3 was in development at 20th Century Fox, but after Disney acquired the studio, could the video game movie still happen at the House of Mouse?
Despite its box-office success, a sequel was scrapped during the film’s production because of its largely negative reception. Instead, it was ultimately succeeded by the reboot,Hitman: Agent 47, in 2015 withRupert Friend taking overthe titular role.Critics were even harsher on the reboot than the original movie, claiming it does not surpass the already low standard set by its predecessor, prioritizing a stylish but empty mix of uninspired violence and product placement over exciting action. Its Rotten Tomatoes scores dropped to 8% and 40%, though it did gross $82 million worldwide on a $35 million budget.
Our Take On Hitman & Hitman: Agent 47’s Netflix Success
There Are Better Video Game Adaptations To Watch
TheHitmanvideo game franchise, developed by IO Interactive, is rather popular and has been generally well-received, which could be contributing to the popularity of the movie adaptations on Netflix. However, there are simply better and more recent representations of what a video game movie can be, including some of which are on Netflix. The reboot, released in 2015, was one of the last critical failures before thegolden age of video game adaptationsbegan in the late 2010s.HitmanandHitman: Agent 47, which were both widely panned, represent a worse era for video game movies.
Hitman
TheHitmanfranchise is a film and TV series adaptation of the popular stealth-action video game franchise created by IO Interactive. The franchise follows Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin with no personal attachments who executes high-profile missions. The two feature films,Hitman(2007) andHitman: Agent 47(2015), brought the iconic assassin to the big screen, but received mixed reviews due to deviations from the game’s stealth-driven approach. Despite the films' reception, the character remains a compelling figure in action-thriller cinema.
