Netflix Is Removing Tim Allen & Chevy Chase’s Forgotten $75M Superhero Box Office Flop Next Month

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The movie starring Tim Allen and Chevy Chase that briefly explored the superhero world is leaving one of its streaming platforms.

The movie Zoom is based on a book by Jason Lethcoe and stars Tim Allen as Jack Shepard, a former superhero. When Jack’s long-lost brother—thought to be dead for three decades—threatens to return through a tear in dimensions, the government calls Jack back into action. He’s asked to assemble a new team, called Team Zenith, made up of four unlikely young heroes, and together they become a team that no one expects much from.

Almost 20 years after its release, the movie Zoom is being removed from Netflix on March 1st. This means viewers have only a few weeks left to watch it on that platform. After March 1st, the film will only be available through streaming services like Kanopy and Hoopla, which are often connected to public libraries.

Featuring Chase, along with Courteney Cox from the Scream movies, Rip Torn of Men in Black, Ryan Newman who played Reagan, Spencer Breslin, Michael Cassidy, and Kate Mara (later an Emmy nominee), Zoom wasn’t a success when it came out in 2006. Critics didn’t like the family-friendly superhero comedy, giving it only a 5% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences stayed away too, and the movie made just $12.5 million at the box office despite costing a surprisingly high $75 million to make.

The film’s poor performance was surprising for several reasons. At the time, family-friendly superhero movies were becoming increasingly popular. Pixar’s The Incredibles was a huge success, even winning an Oscar, and Disney’s Sky High also did well with both critics and audiences, later becoming a fan favorite on DVD and streaming.

When Zoom came out, most of the main actors and director Peter Hewitt were still considered reliable names in the industry. Tim Allen, who was focusing more on movies after Home Improvement ended its eight-season run, had already starred in several successful films, especially the Santa Clause and Toy Story series. The following year, he had his biggest live-action hit with the comedy Wild Hogs, which earned over $253 million worldwide.

Beyond Allen, both Cox and Hewitt were coming off successful projects. Cox had just finished a hugely popular run on Friends, followed by the hit films The Longest Yard remake and Barnyard. Hewitt was the director of Garfield, which made four times its production budget despite negative reviews. Breslin was a well-known child actor, having already worked with Allen on The Santa Clause 2 and Shaggy Dog, and also appearing in popular movies like Disney’s The Kid and Return to Neverland.

Given that Zoom is a rare failure in the careers of Allen and his fellow actors, it’s worth watching to see if the show will find a new streaming platform now that it’s left Netflix. Considering Allen’s ongoing work with Disney on his new show, Shifting Gears, Disney+ might be interested in picking up Zoom and becoming its permanent streaming home for fans of the award-winning actor.

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2026-02-11 18:38