In 2014, John Wick became a sleeper hit that revolutionized action movies. With its distinct sense of style and innovative gun-fu set pieces, the film inspired a plethora of copycats looking to make a similar splash with audiences. One of the more notable John Wick clones to emerge over the years was Nobody, written by John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad. Proving that Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk had action chops, Nobody earned positive reviews and was financially successful enough ($57.5 million worldwide against a $16 million production budget) to warrant a follow-up. Nobody 2 premiered at the tail end of last summer, and though it couldn’t replicate its predecessor’s performance in theaters, it’s now faring well on streaming.
For the week of March 9th – 15th, Nobody 2 was the No. 7 movie on Netflix globally. During that time, it accumulated 3.1 million views and was watched for a total of 4.6 million hours. Nobody 2 also ranked third on the United States Netflix chart. This was the film’s first week placing in the streamer’s top 10. Nobody 2 was added to the platform’s library on March 14th, so it racked up these views in a short period of time.
Will There Be a Nobody 3?
When it premiered last summer, Nobody 2 earned generally positive reviews, similar to the first film. While the sequel naturally doesn’t feel as fresh as the original film, critics still found enjoyment in Odenkirk’s dedicated performance and the hard-hitting action set pieces. For Nobody 2, Timo Tjahjanto took over as director, injecting the film with a creative sense of energy that combined dark comedy with intense violence. Once again, the plot isn’t the main selling point here, it’s watching Odenkirk let loose and beat up bad guys. From that perspective, Nobody 2 delivers some memorable fight sequences (including the confrontation on the duck boat).
Despite boasting a Certified Fresh 76% Rotten Tomatoes score, Nobody 2 flew under the radar. It didn’t make much of an impression at the box office, grossing only $43.2 million worldwide against a bigger production budget of $25 million. During its opening weekend, it finished below holdovers Weapons and Freakier Friday, so its reach never extended beyond its core, niche demographic. As such, it’s nice to see the overlooked action sequel finally attract a larger audience, but this also raises questions about what the future might have in store for the Nobody franchise.
Earlier this month, Odenkirk told Screen Rant “I do have ideas” for another Nobody film, but cautioned “I don’t know that I’ll get to do it.” Unlike the John Wick franchise, where each mainline entry grossed more than the previous film (culminating in John Wick: Chapter 4‘s haul of $447.1 million), Nobody has been a case of diminishing returns thus far. While action fans seem to enjoy the series, it hasn’t really broken through to the mainstream, meaning Universal could decide Nobody 3 isn’t worth the investment. The studio was probably hoping for a stronger showing from Nobody 2, especially since the film debuted in a relatively uncompetitive box office window.
Nobody 2‘s success on Netflix is not a sign audiences would turn up to see a third installment in theaters. It’s much easier for people to take a chance on something when all they have to do is hit play in their living room, so the streaming numbers shouldn’t influence Universal’s decision to give Nobody 3 a green light or not. If Odenkirk comes up with a strong enough idea (one that perhaps addresses some of the narrative shortcomings of the first two films), Universal might be willing to roll the dice as long as production costs are kept in check, increasing the odds of turning a profit.
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