Terminator's $261M Disappointment Finds Redemption on Netflix's Global Chart 5 Years Later

One of Terminator The franchise's biggest commercial disappointments found streaming success on Netflix. Since the first film was released in 1984, there have been six Terminator films and two television series in the long-running franchise. The first film in the franchise, directed and written by James Cameron, set the tone and established Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, as well as introducing the now iconic characters of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese.

The first sequence, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, is widely considered the best film in the franchise, as well as being one of the best film sequences of all time. None of the subsequent films, released between 2003 and 2019, managed to achieve the same level of acclaim as the original two films. The franchise expanded to television with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicleswhich aired from 2008-2009, along with Terminator Zeroan anime series that debuted on Netflix in 2024.

Terminator: Dark Fate is a Netflix streaming hit

The 2019 film reunited Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton

Terminator: Dark Fate it now performs well on Netflix. The 2019 film reunited Schwarzenegger with Sarah Connor actress Linda Hamilton for the first time in the franchise since Terminator 2 in 1991. While Terminator: Dark Fatethe criticisms were a improvement in reception Terminator Salvation and Terminator GenesisIt wasn't the full return to form that was hoped for, and it didn't reach the heights of the original two films. It was also a commercial disappointment, grossing just $261 million against a budget of nearly $200 million.

According to NetflixGlobal Top 10, Terminator: Dark Fate has now become a streaming hit as the eighth most-watched film of the past week with 5.8 million views. It is in the Top 10 in 57 countries around the world. Many of the best performing countries are located in Europe, including Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Serbia and Sweden. Terminator: Dark Fate is not currently available to stream in the United States. Check out last week's Netflix Global Top 10 below:

Our Take on Terminator's Streaming Success

It's a good sign for the future of the franchise

While Terminator: Dark Fate wasn't a box office success, its global streaming audience indicates the film is now finding more of an audience. This bodes well for the future of the franchise, especially as Cameron continues to work on a Terminator 7 road map. If this level of interest remains in the Terminator franchise, the next installment could perform particularly well at the international and global box office. However Terminator 7the future, interest in the franchise was revived at Netflix through the success of Terminator Zerowhich was translated into Dark Fateaudience.

Source: Netflix