Mel Gibson has a hit movie on Netflix.
The 68-year-old, who was recently spotted at a family dinner in Malibu, has the second most-watched movie on the streaming service.
The ‘Netflix effect’ happens when a series or movie rises in popularity after being added to the platform.
That’s exactly what happened with a little-known 2022 film called On The Line, starring the Oscar winner, which has seen a resurgence since being added to the streamer.
The film is more popular than new additions including Lindsay Lohan’s Irish Wish, Regina King’s Shirley and Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel.
Mel Gibson’s 2022 thriller On The Line is the second most popular film on Netflix thanks to the ‘Netflix Effect’
The only film that is more popular is the eponymous film Mending the Line, another 2022 film starring Brian Cox.
In On the Line, Gibson stars as Elvis, a radio host who you can call to talk about “all your problems and issues.”
Everything goes well until a caller named Gary, who has a grudge against Elvis, threatens his family and starts a digital cat-and-mouse game.
The film received a critic score of 20 percent and an audience score of 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Digital trends called it a great movie to watch with friends “during a drinking game.”
Gibson was an A-list Hollywood star, helming blockbuster films like Maverick and Ransom, after finding fame in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapons franchises.
He won an Oscar for Best Director for 1995’s Braveheart. The film also earned the Best Picture award.
The Passion of the Christ director’s career collapsed after he was arrested in Malibu for drunken driving in 2006. While being processed by police, he unleashed an anti-Semitic tirade against the arresting officer.
In leaked tapes released in 2010, he was heard making racist comments, including the n-word, from then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who also accused him of physical violence. He pleaded no contest to a spousal assault charge in 2011 and was sentenced to three years of probation, domestic violence counseling and two days of community service.
In On the Line, Gibson stars as Elvis, a radio host who you can call to talk about “all your problems and problems.” Everything goes well until a caller named Gary threatens his family and a digital cat-and-mouse game begins
The thriller enjoyed massive popularity after being added to the platform, beating Lindsay Lohan’s Irish Wish, Regina King’s Shirley and Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel.
The actor also has a history of making anti-LGBTQ comments.
Since then, he has appeared in mostly low-budget and low-rated action films, such as On the Line.
But a few A-list stars have hired him to work in a number of mainstream films, including The Expendables 3, starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as Father Stu, starring Mark Wahlberg.
Gibson used to enjoy A-list status in Hollywood after rising to fame in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchises. He won an Oscar for Best Director for 1995’s Braveheart. The film also earned the Best Picture award (pictured in Los Angeles in March 1996).
The Passion of the Christ director’s career collapsed after he made anti-Semitic comments while arrested for drunken driving in Malibu in 2006. In 2011, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor between spouses (2011 mugshot)
A few A-stars have hired him to work in a number of mainstream films, including The Expendables 3, starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as Father Stu, starring Mark Wahlberg (pictured in Beverly Hills in April 2022)
The Passion of the Christ director has several upcoming projects in front of and behind the camera, including Flight Risk with Mark Wahlberg and the fantasy adventure Boys of Summer (pictured in Paris in June 2021)
He directed the 2016 Oscar-winning war film Hacksaw Ridge, starring Andrew Garfield as Army medic Desmond T. Doss, who saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa without firing a single shot.
The World War II drama continues to be rated as one of the ‘most loved’ films on Netflix after arriving on the service in September 2023.
According to IMDB, Gibson recently wrapped directing Flight Risk, a thriller starring Downton Abbey’s Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery and Topher Grace. Gibson is also a producer on the project.
He will next be seen in the fantasy adventure Boys of Summer with Lorraine Bracco and Mason Thames. The film is expected to be released in August.