Nicolas Cagecontinues to have one of the most interesting careers in all of Hollywood. After appearing in movies likeRaising Arizona(1987) andMoonstruck(1987),Cage became something of an action starin the ’90s, playing the lead inThe Rock(1996),Con Air(1997), andFace/Off(1997). Heading into the 2000s, however, pinning Cage down to just one genre became impossible.
On top of family-friendly fare likeNational Treasure(2004), Cage also appeared in the violentLord of War(2005) before becoming a superhero inGhost Rider(2007). The 2010s saw the actor regularly making three or four movies a year, many of which came and went with little fanfare, often earning poor reviews.After 2018’sMandy, however, Cage has experienced something of a comeback, starring in well-received movies likePig(2021),The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent(2022), andDream Scenario(2023). In 2024, he continued this hot streak with a surprise horror hit.
Longlegs Has Become A Streaming Hit
The Nicolas Cage Horror Beats Some Big Titles
Longlegsascends to become a top-three streaming movie following its $126 million haul at the box office. Directed by Osgood Perkins, the horror film follows FBI agent Lee Harker’s (Maika Monroe) investigation into a serial killer known only as Longlegs, played by Cage.Longlegsreviewswere generally positive from critics and the film, which reportedly cost under $10 million to make, was a massive commercial success due to its viral marketing campaign and audience word-of-mouth.
Longlegs' Record-Breaking Box Office Explained: Breaking Down The Incredible $22.6 Million Opening
Nicolas Cage’s Longlegs broke records at the box office during its opening weekend, and several reasons can account for the horror film’s success.
After finally releasing on streaming in the U.S. last week,Longlegshas become the third most popular movie on streaming for the week of February 13 – 19, according to new data fromReelgood. The film, which is available on Hulu, beatsThe Substance(2024),Aftermath(2024), andYou’re Cordially Invited(2025), but falls short ofBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy(2025) andThe Gorge(2025). When looking at all titles on streaming, including TV shows,Longlegsfalls to ninth place. Check out the top 10 movies list below:
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Kinda Pregnant
According to Reelgood, this top 10 list was assembled using “real-time, anonymized viewership data across all streaming platforms, using proprietary tracking technology to rank the most-watched titles based on actual engagement.”
What Longlegs' Streaming Success Means For The Movie
Osgood Perkins Has A Bright Directing Future
Longlegshas been streaming on Prime Video in Canada and on other services in other regions for a while now, but it only just came to streaming in the U.S. this past week. It’s not entirely surprising that it has become a hit for Hulu given its recent launch, buta top three placement is still an impressive achievement given it was theatrically released back in July 2024. The movie’s latest streaming victory is another win for Cage, whosetransformational performance as Longlegshas been widely praised, including by Graeme Guttman in his review forScreenRant:
Cage’s performance is deranged enough. Longlegs' voice is one that won’t be forgotten and the way Perkins deploys brief looks at him leading up to the big reveal raises the tension until it snaps like the crack of a broken bone.
ThoughLonglegsis undeniably a win for Cage and for Monroe, Perkins may be the one who most benefits from the film.Perkins' relationship with Neon now looks to be quite strong, and his new film, an adaptation ofStephen King’sThe Monkey,hits theaters this weekend and comes with a great deal of anticipation. And he already has another Neon horror film calledKeeper, which is due out in October.Longlegsmay have come out seven months ago now, but its impact clearly continues.
