This year’s underrated thriller Missing has found a new audience on Netflix that has propelled it to the top of the streamer’s daily movie chart. Will Merrick and Nick Johnson’s standalone sequel to 2018’s Searching starred Storm Reid as a daughter who sets out to find her missing mother. After a prolonged production, Missing was released in January and earned both critical praise and a strong box office performance.
While Missing quickly earned critical praise earlier this year, the thriller has found a new audience with its release on Netflix on May 20. Viewers rushed to see the film for themselves following positive word of mouth on social media, pushing it higher on the Netflix charts. As reported by FlixPatrol, Missing first became Netflix’s No. 1 movie on its daily Top 10 chart on May 23, and it has remained there through May 29, marking a full week. Those enthralled with its twists and turns have hopped on social media to react:
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How Missing Was Overshadowed During Its Theatrical Run
Upon release, Missing was praised for its quick pace, relatable situations, and perfectly implemented twists that kept critics engaged throughout its 111-minute runtime. Its critical praise would further be reflected in its box office success, as Missing took home a total global box office gross of $48.7 million on a budget of $7 million, earning over five times the amount of its production costs. Despite being a critical and box office hit, however, Missing did find itself overlooked in theaters, being released amid both highly-anticipated blockbusters and surprising hits.
Missing hit theaters alongside James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, viral hit M3GAN, and breakout smash Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. While Avatar: The Way of Water continued its record success at the top of the charts, good word of mouth allowed M3GAN and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish to hold their own multiple weeks after their debuts, leaving Missing to take fourth place. The film was swept away by discussions on social media surrounding the three films above it, as moviegoers celebrated both Avatar 2‘s monumental success and the surprising but welcome wins for both the horror and animation genres.
While Missing may have found itself overshadowed among fellow 2023 box office success stories, its Netflix success has allowed it to find a new audience who may have missed it initially. Despite not being a direct sequel to Searching, the 2023 thriller proved itself able to live up to its predecessor’s legacy through its own merits. As such, Missing‘s newfound success on Netflix could allow the thriller to stand out among 2023’s most popular releases.
Source: FlixPatrol, Various (see above)
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
