# Jason Statham’s $530M Sci-Fi Franchise-Starter Is Officially Ready to Devour Streaming

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/jason-stathams-530m-sci-fi-franchise-starter-is-officially-ready-to-devour-streaming/
- Published: 2026-09-28T00:00:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-28T00:22:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Collider
- Original article: https://collider.com/jason-statham-the-meg-hbo-max-streaming-september-2026/
- Topics: Americas, Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Film, Horror, TV, World

## Key points

- *The Meg* now streaming on HBO Max in the United States
- Statham-led shark film earned $530 million globally despite 46% critical score
- Massive audience success led to 2023 sequel with additional prehistoric monsters

## Summary

Jason Statham's 2018 sci-fi monster blockbuster *The Meg* has officially launched on HBO Max in the United States, marking a new streaming home for the film. The movie proved to be a surprise commercial phenomenon, grossing over $530 million worldwide and spawning a sequel, making it a significant franchise starter despite receiving mixed critical reviews.

The film sees Statham play rescue diver Jonas Taylor, who must save a crew trapped at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean from a 75-foot prehistoric megalodon shark. Directed by Jon Turteltaub, *The Meg* earned approximately $155 million from both North America and China respectively, becoming the highest-grossing Chinese-American co-production at the time. Although critics scored the film at 46% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences embraced the premise of "Statham punching a shark," leading to the 2023 sequel *Meg 2: The Trench*, which introduced even more giant prehistoric creatures into the franchise.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.