A movie starring the ever-popular Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen sounds like it should be an instant hit, but that wasn’t the case for The Long Shot.
Released worldwide in 2019, The Long Shot received mostly positive reviews and praise for the romantic chemistry between the two leads, and yet it still flopped at the box office.
The film earned just $53.8 million worldwide and, according to him, barely managed to exceed its estimated $40 million budget Screen Rant.
Fast forward some four years later, and The Long Shot is having its well-deserved moment since its re-release on Netflix, where it hit number 5 on the global charts last week – with fans failing to name the ‘best rom-com ever’ become. .
And it’s not the only unpopular production to gain a new legion of fans after being released by the streaming service, such as Will Smith’s Gemini Man.
The Long Shot, starring Seth Rogan (left) and Charlize Theron (right), has finally found success on Netflix despite tanking at the box office
Paramount lost an estimated $111 million on the Ang Lee film, in which Smith’s killer targeted a younger clone of himself.
However, after it was released on Netflix, it remained in the top 10 for weeks, despite poor reviews.
Then there’s wrestler Steve Austin’s 2007 film The Condemned, which was considered so bad that his hopes for an acting career in Hollywood were immediately dashed.
More than 15 years later, it was released on Netflix and shot to number two on the New Zealand charts.
The lack of initial success for The Long Shot film could be due to the fact that it was overshadowed by Marvel’s: Avengers: Endgame, which was released in theaters the week before.
The storyline follows journalist Fred Flarsky, played by Seth Rogen, who is unexpectedly reunited with his childhood sweetheart and high school babysitter, Charlize Theron as Charlotte Field.
Coincidentally, Charlotte is now one of the most influential women in the world and is preparing to run for President of the United States.
The two have little in common, but when Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter, sparks fly.
Their undeniable chemistry leads to a globe-trotting romance as the pair endure a series of dangerous incidents.
Directed by Jonathan Levine, the film scored an impressive 82% in the critics’ ratings on Rotten Tomatos. But perhaps most impressive are the film’s Netflix stats four years after its cinematic release.
According to Netflix, the quirky romantic comedy hit number 5 in the global charts last week, with an impressive 4.2 million views.
The film lagged behind Old Dads, which reached first place with 13.3 million views, and The Devil on Trial, which came in second with eight million views.
Fans have since flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the film, and many are impressed.
The film follows journalist Fred Flarsky, played by Seth Rogen, who is unexpectedly reunited with his childhood sweetheart and high school babysitter, Charlize Theron as Charlotte Field.
In the film, Charlotte is now one of the most influential women in the world and is preparing to run for President of the United States
One said: ‘I’m watching ‘Long Shot’ and there’s a scene where Seth Rogen sends Charlize Theron a note saying “I’m in love with you” and then slow dances to Roxette… SA-WOON!! Best RomCom ever.”
A second added: ‘The Long Shot in Netflix was funny. I really enjoyed that watch. Seth looks good.”
Another wrote, “Today I watched Long Shot starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron. I remember seeing the trailers when it came out. Never bothered to see it, until now. Rogen and Theron have such good chemistry together. Solid comedy. Nice love story.’
A fourth said: ‘Long shot on Netflix is my jam! Charlize and Seth are great, the casting of O’shea and Odenkirk was a delight, but just skip to the credits to see a surprise cameo that will blow your mind! A plus!’
Similarly, a fifth added, “The way Charlize Theron kept looking at Seth Rogen in #LongShot, when a man looks at me like that? I am gone.’
Since then, people have flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the film, and many were impressed
Another said: ‘#TheLongShot, the perfect rom-com is on Netflix. Chemistry and laughs for days. Seth and Charlize did what they had to do. 10/10.
Similarly, another added, “Long Shot on Netflix is the best rom-com I’ve seen in a while… I love it when the romantic comedy is more comedy than romance.”
It comes after the South African admitted the comedy-rom-com role was a “great opportunity” for her because she “usually plays ab***h.”
Speaking of the role, Charlize told Graham Norton in an interview that aired in 2019 that it was a refreshing role to play.
‘The thought of working with Seth felt like a great opportunity, because most of the time I’m playing ab***h, killing people, or getting killed.
“I never thought I would end up in a genre like this, so it’s really nice to feel grounded and authentic about who I am as a person and as an actor at this point in my career,” she admitted.
Seth also talked about the political background of the film and what inspired the role of the President, played by Bob Odenkirk.
“We thought a lot about what he could be, and we had the idea that he would be an actor who would play the president on a hit TV show and then become the president of the United States.
‘We thought it was a bit crazy and then recently the exact same thing happened in Ukraine. Just when you think you’ve surpassed reality, reality comes up with something crazier than you could ever imagine!’ he revealed.