Netflix Is About To Lose a Marvel Star’s Box Office Bomb That Was Supposed To Launch a Franchise

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Marvel films are consistently huge box office successes and have launched the careers of many actors, but these stars have also appeared in films outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One such film, a 2013 box office failure, actually received the lowest ratings of any movie starring that particular Marvel actor – and it’s leaving Netflix soon.

Ryan Reynolds first appeared as Deadpool in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Four years later, he starred in the comic book movie R.I.P.D., which is based on the comic book series of the same name by Peter M. Lenkov. R.I.P.D. will no longer be available on Netflix after January 1st. The movie features Reynolds as Nick Walker, a police officer who is resurrected to join the R.I.P.D.—a team of afterlife law enforcement—and teams up with veteran undead sheriff Roy Pulsipher (played by Jeff Bridges) to track down spirits trying to escape their fate.

R.I.P.D. Killed the Intended Franchise

The movie R.I.P.D. was meant to start a series of films, and the creator, Lenkov, envisioned future installments featuring different pairings of agents, like a 1920s Chicago cop with someone from the Miami Vice era. However, the first movie wasn’t successful, effectively ending any chance of sequels.

Despite having all the ingredients for a summer hit – a concept similar to Men in Black, plus big stars like Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges – the movie R.I.P.D. was a major disappointment. It only earned $78 million at the box office, despite costing around $130 million to make, and received very negative reviews, with scores of just 13% from critics and 38% from audiences – making it Reynolds’ lowest-rated film. While it offered some mindless action entertainment, R.I.P.D. ultimately felt like a poor imitation of Men in Black, lacking originality and suffering from weak special effects, an uneven tone, and overall poor quality. Even the combined talents of Reynolds and Bridges couldn’t rescue the film, as their on-screen chemistry didn’t click and their characters were uninspired and overly cartoonish.

A sequel film, R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned, was released in 2022, but it went straight to video and didn’t receive much attention. It only earned a 26% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the creator, Lenkov, hasn’t given up on the idea. He’s expressed interest in developing it as a TV series, believing the concept has more potential that a single movie. He plans to completely reimagine the story if he gets the chance, rather than continuing the existing films.

Where to Stream R.I.P.D. After It Leaves Netflix?

The movie R.I.P.D. is leaving Netflix, but don’t worry, you’ll still be able to watch it! It’s heading to Peacock on January 1st, so it will remain easily available for streaming. You can also rent or buy it from various online platforms.

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2025-12-23 03:13