Jason Statham has fought assassins, gangsters, terrorists, people who hate bees, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from The Hunger Games, so you’d think that prehistoric creatures might present more of a challenge. You’d think wrong. Nearly three years after its theatrical release, one of Statham’s biggest and most ridiculous action movies is now finding another enormous audience.
<em>Meg 2: The Trench</em> has officially become one of Netflix’s biggest global hits, climbing the streamer’s worldwide Top 10. The 116-minute sci-fi action sequel has surged up the rankings alongside titles including F9, The Hustle, Regretting You, and Netflix’s Enola Holmes 3. Directed by Ben Wheatley, the sequel brings Statham back as rescue diver Jonas Taylor, who joins an exploratory mission into the deepest reaches of the ocean, which can only be uplifting, educational, and thrilling.
Things inevitably go very wrong when a mining operation threatens the team and unleashes multiple prehistoric creatures, including more giant sharks, a massive squid, and reptilian monsters. Statham is joined by Wu Jing (The Wandering Earth) as Jiuming Zhang, Sophia Cai (The Meg) as Meiying, Page Kennedy (Bones) as DJ, and Cliff Curtis (Avatar: The Way of Water) as Mac.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz
Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like?
Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky
Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.
Paul Atreides
Capt. Kirk
Princess Leia
Ellen Ripley
Max Rockatansky
FIND YOUR HERO →
01
How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher?
The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
A I absorb everything — every variable, every pattern — and move only when I know the path forward.
B I read the room, make the call, and own the consequences. Hesitation costs more than mistakes.
C I rally people. A cause needs a voice, and I refuse to let fear be louder than conviction.
D I assess the threat, establish what needs doing, and get it done without waiting for permission.
E I don’t lead. I act. Others can follow or not — I’m already moving.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
What is your greatest strength in a crisis?
The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
NEXT QUESTION →
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How Successful Was ‘The Meg 2’?
The sequel was not quite as commercially successful as 2018’s The Meg, which earned approximately $529 million worldwide, but it was still a pretty big theatrical hit. Meg 2: The Trench finished its run with $397.8 million globally against a reported $129 million production budget.
Critics weren’t as impressed, but then again, they’re not exactly the target audience for a movie about punching giant sharks. The film currently holds a 27% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, although audiences were far happier, awarding it a 72% Popcornmeter score. After all, this is a film that involves Jason Statham outrunning a shark dinosaur on a jetski. Come on. A third film isn’t on the table as yet, but if the script is right for all parties, then — who are we kidding, these movies don’t even need a script. Just give the shark legs and a machine gun and let us enjoy what happens next.
Meg 2: The Trench is streaming now on Netflix.
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