Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
‘Transformers’ Meets ‘Godzilla’ in John Boyega’s Sci-Fi Sequel Resurfacing on HBO Max 8 Years Later
Pacific Rim: Uprising, the 2018 sequel to Guillermo del Toro's monster-versus-robot blockbuster, has unexpectedly become a streaming success on HBO Max eight years after its cinema release. The film, which starred John Boyega in the years following his Star Wars trilogy appearances, entered the platform's US movie Top 10 in July 2026 and has been climbing steadily, showing that older franchise instalments can find fresh audiences long after their theatrical run, despite lukewarm critical reception at the time.
Directed by Steven S. DeKnight with del Toro producing rather than directing, the sequel grossed $290.9 million worldwide against a $150 million budget, considered underwhelming once marketing and distribution costs were factored in. Boyega plays Jake Pentecost, son of Idris Elba's character from the original, alongside Cailee Spaeny, Scott Eastwood, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Jing Tian and Burn Gorman. The film entered HBO Max's Top 10 at No. 6 on 20 July, rising to No. 4 the next day and No. 3 by 22 July, while also charting in Mongolia and Zimbabwe, despite holding just a 42% Rotten Tomatoes score and 5.6/10 on IMDb.
In short
- Pacific Rim: Uprising is resurging on HBO Max eight years after release
- Film reached No. 3 in the platform's US Top 10 in July 2026
- Despite weak reviews, it's finding a new streaming audience worldwide
Explained simply
Pacific Rim is a science fiction action franchise that began in 2013, featuring giant robot suits called Jaegers that battle enormous creatures known as Kaiju. The original film was commercially successful, prompting the development of a sequel.
Pacific Rim: Uprising was released in 2018 and starred John Boyega, who had appeared in the recent Star Wars films. The film received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office, earning less than the studios expected when marketing costs were factored in. The film has since found an audience on the streaming service HBO Max years after its theatrical release.
The film's streaming success reveals that theatrical underperformers can find audiences on digital platforms long after their cinema release. This shows that box office figures do not necessarily predict streaming popularity.