You can tell how serious a studio is about a certain movie by its marketing strategy. This has become more apparent in the streaming age, when the sheer volume of content makes it impossible for platforms to spend equally on creating awareness about them. And so, just like it was in the pre-streaming era, certain projects are deemed worthy of a more expensive marketing campaign, while others are left to hope for the best. Netflix began promoting the survival thriller Apex well ahead of its release on April 24, and the move appears to have paid off handsomely. Not only did the film debut at the top of the streamer’s viewership charts, but it has now emerged as one of its most-viewed movies ever.

Apex was headlined by Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton, both of whom have starred in major Netflix projects before. Theron led the superhero action film The Old Guard, which was released to positive reviews in 2021. She returned to star in The Old Guard 2 last year, but the film wasn’t given the same marketing push as the original. The reason became clear once the poor reviews poured in. Egerton, on the other hand, headlined the thriller Carry-On, which emerged as one of Netflix’s most-watched movies following its release in 2024. It’s now the third-biggest Netflix original of all time, with 172 million views. The all-time list is topped by KPop Demon Hunters (325 million views), with Red Notice (203 million views) at the number two spot. These figures are based on the first 91 days of release.

‘Apex’ Is on the Verge of Passing an Incredible Milestone

Apex has accumulated nearly 80 million views so far. In its first week of release, it raked in 38 million views, and week two’s numbers increased to 40 million. Apex outperformed the recent animated title Swapped, and the international title 180. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, the movie opened to mixed reviews. It’s now sitting at a 66% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Benefiting from astonishing Australian locations and Charlize Theron’s raw athleticism while skimping on the finer details, Apex doesn’t mark the zenith of survival thrillers but makes for a solid entry.” To enter the all-time top 10 list on Netflix, Apex needs to overtake the 138 million views posted by Millie Bobby Brown‘s fantasy film Damsel.