“Carry-On” has entered Netflix’s most popular English-language films list.
The action thriller reached the fifth spot Tuesday with 149.5 million views since its release a month ago, according to the streamer. “Red Notice” is currently No. 1 on the list, followed by “Don’t Look Up,” “The Adam Project,” “Bird Box” and “Carry-On.”
“More than the numbers, it’s seeing people’s reactions to the movie,” director Jaume Collet-Serra told me Tuesday morning. “I started getting a lot of calls and texts from friends and people who didn’t know I directed it. They didn’t know until they saw the credits and they were sending me texts that they loved it. I think at that moment I knew the movie was finding an audience and connecting to it.”
“Carry-On” stars Oscar nominee Taron Egerton as a TSA agent at LAX who is blackmailed by a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) into allowing luggage containing chemical warfare onto a plane bound for New York City. Sofia Carson also stars as Egerton’s pregnant fiancé. Rounding out the cast are Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Dean Norris and Tonatiuh.
The film, produced by Dylan Clark and Amblin Entertainment, was written by T.J. Fixman.
Collet-Serra insists he’s OK that the movie didn’t have a theatrical release. “We did it exactly the same way I’ve done every movie for theatrical,” he said. “‘Non-Stop’ did great theatrical, but if I made it today, would it go theatrical? Probably not. It’s just the times, and I’m happy. Any means they can find an audience, that’s great. But there was nothing I spared technically or visually that was different than anything that I would do in any other way.”
Collet-Serra insists there have been no formal talks about a sequel. “We don’t have any plans for a sequel,” he said. “But if audiences wanted a sequel, families wanted a sequel and if we had an idea that would spark and live up to the original maybe we would do something. But right now, there are no plans.”
Clark added, “There are no plans, but it’s fun to quietly talk about these things. These characters are great. Look at Danielle Deadwyler’s character, [detective Elena Cole], you can see a world in which there’s a movie about her.”
“’Carry-On’ is a throwback to the great, original action movies of the ’80s and ’90s that we all love, and we were excited to make this film as an homage to the best of that genre. Clearly audiences are loving the film, and I’m thrilled it has entered into the list of Netflix’s most popular films ever,” Netflix’s chairman of film Dan Lin said in an exclusive statement to Variety. “Congratulations to Jaume, Dylan, the team at Amblin Entertainment and the entire cast and crew.”
During an appearance on the “Just for Variety” podcast in December, Egerton said, “It’s bombastic, and it’s larger than life, and hopefully, it’s a kind of great Christmas event for people to sit down and have two hours of pure escapism.”
Egerton told me shortly before the movie’s release that he’d be up for a sequel. “To be honest, until this morning, I hadn’t really thought about it, because the movie’s so lightning striking in one place, but I guess that never stopped ‘Die Hard,’” he said. “I think it turned out great, and I am open to anything and everything. I’m still the guy who thinks every job is his last. You say sequel and my tail pricks up.”
