The $302M Fantasy Movie Sequel That Killed Its Franchise Is a Netflix Hit, 14 Years Later

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The huge success of Avatar started a wave of 3D movies. Studios quickly began turning existing films into 3D to take advantage of this new trend. One of the first was Clash of the Titans, released shortly after Avatar. It benefited from being another large-scale 3D movie starring Sam Worthington. Although critics didn’t love it, Clash of the Titans did well in theaters, leading to a sequel, Wrath of the Titans, in 2012. While the sequel wasn’t as successful, ending the series, Wrath of the Titans is now gaining popularity on streaming services.

From February 16th to 22nd, Wrath of the Titans ranked as the ninth most popular movie on Netflix worldwide. It was viewed 2.8 million times and watched for a total of 4.6 million hours, just ahead of Rumble. This marked the second week the film appeared in Netflix’s top 10.

Wrath of the Titans‘ Poor Performance Ended the Franchise

While Clash of the Titans wasn’t a hit with critics, it made $493.2 million around the world on a $125 million budget, which encouraged Warner Bros. to make a sequel. However, interest from audiences waned. Wrath of the Titans was even less well-received than the first film, scoring only 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it earned significantly less at the box office, bringing in just $302 million despite costing $150 million to produce. Though the sequel featured impressive visuals and action, most other elements were disappointing – so much so that Liam Neeson received a Razzie nomination for his performance.

It’s not really surprising that Wrath of the Titans didn’t do well. The first movie, Clash of the Titans, benefited from being new and exciting – 3D was a big deal at the time, and people were curious to see large fantasy battles in theaters. However, like Wrath, Clash of the Titans didn’t tell a particularly compelling story and didn’t connect with audiences beyond the special effects and the famous “Release the Kraken” moment. By the time Wrath of the Titans came out, most viewers had lost interest. If the first movie had been better, this could have become a successful fantasy series. Unfortunately, Wrath of the Titans performed so poorly at the box office that it ended the franchise, and a planned third movie, Revenge of the Titans, was canceled.

Despite Sam Worthington’s ongoing success with the Avatar films, a reboot of his Clash of the Titans seems unlikely. However, it’s great to see Wrath of the Titans finally finding an audience years later. The film is perfectly suited for streaming, as movies that don’t perform well in theaters often become popular when people can easily watch them at home. Wrath of the Titans relies more on impressive visuals and action than a complex story, making it ideal background viewing on Netflix – something to have on while relaxing, and then focus on when the battles begin.

Whether Warner Bros. will revisit Clash of the Titans remains to be seen. The recent popularity of Wrath of the Titans on streaming proves there’s still interest in these types of stories. However, any new film would need a talented creative team with a strong, unique vision to improve upon the earlier movies. If Warner Bros. decides to invest in a reboot, they’ll likely aim to start a whole new franchise, though it doesn’t seem to be a current focus. Thankfully, fans can still enjoy Sam Worthington’s films whenever they like.

Currently, you can’t watch Wrath of the Titans on Netflix in the U.S. It’s available on Netflix in other countries, but if you’re in America, you’ll need to rent or buy the movie through digital stores like Apple and Amazon.

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2026-03-01 20:15