Due Date, the comedy starring Robert Downey Jr., is making waves on streaming more than a decade after its premiere. The road trip saga, which featured Zach Galifianakis in the co-lead role, came during a resurgence period in Downey’s career. He was coming off the success of his performance as Tony Stark in the first two Iron Man movies.
He also played Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 Guy Ritchie-directed film, which grossed $524 million against a $90 million budget. Due Date would continue that hot streak, and it is popping up on the streaming charts 15 years after an impressive $211 million haul at the box office.
Due Date is a global success on HBO Max. The dark comedy has kept a high ranking, peaking at #3 in several countries. Currently, at the time of writing this article, on December 26, Due Date is in the Top 3 in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and several other countries.
Due Date is currently not available for streaming in the U.S. However, it is also available to purchase and rent digitally, in addition to being available on physical media. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Warner Home Video in February 2011.
Directed by Todd Phillips, coming off the success of the Hangover movies, Due Date centers on Peter Highman (played by Downey), an architect who has to find a way to get from Atlanta to Los Angeles in time for the birth of his child. But his cross-country journey is made more complicated when Peter has to catch a ride with Ethan (Galifianakis), an aspiring actor who brings chaos with him.
The cast of Due Date includes Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx, Matt Walsh, RZA, Danny McBride, Mimi Kennedy, and Keegan-Michael Key, with Juliette Lewis reprising a character she played in the Phillips-directed comedy Old School. Reviews were generally negative, with a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, and that was partly attributed to the film’s predictable beats after the massive career boom that the two leads and the director enjoyed.
It is precisely because of that continued boom, though, with Downey’s Oscar-winning turn in Oppenheimer, not to mention Phillips’ headline-grabbing work on the Joker movies, that Due Date lends itself to discoverability in the streaming realm. It’s likewise part of why there is a push to see Downey in more comedic roles that play to his strengths.
Release Date
November 4, 2010
Runtime
95minutes
Director
Todd Phillips
Writers
Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel