By now the “‘Die Hard’ on a”-style movie is basically its own genre. John McTiernan’s legendary 1988 actioner spawned more imitators than perhaps any movie in Hollywood history. Many action fans know, for instance, that “Speed” is essentially “Die Hard on a bus,” and its follow-up, “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” literally was supposed to be “Die Hard 3” before its script was rejected in favor of the “Die Hard with a Vengeance” screenplay. “Cliffhanger” is “Die Hard” on a mountain, “Air Force One” is “Die Hard” on a plane. Heck, even today we’re seeing the movie reproduced in the form of Netflix thriller “Carry-On,” a Christmas action movie which is essentially just “Die Hard 2” with Taron Edgerton and Jason Bateman.
While many of these imitators are excellent action movies in their own right, the “Die Hard” formula doesn’t always produce such quality. Take “Aftermath,” a new movie starring Dylan Sprouse which is basically “Die Hard” on a bridge … but bad. The film, from Patrick Lussier, the guy that co-wrote “Terminator Genisys,” sees Dylan Sprouse’s ex-Army Ranger do his best John McClane impression as he tries to save his sister and other hostages from a group of ex-military contractors and their deranged leader who have trapped the group on Boston’s Tobin Bridge.
The film also stars Mason Gooding, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s son and one of the co-leads of the stylish and sweet slasher rom-com “Heart Eyes,” who plays the villain in “Aftermath.” Sadly, early reactions to the film aren’t all that positive, but then, why worry about whether people like your movie as long as they’re streaming it? That’s exactly what’s happened with “Aftermath,” as Netflix subscribers have sent this latest “Die Hard” imitator straight to the top of the most-watched film chart.
Aftermath battles its way to the top of the Netflix charts
“Aftermath” hit Netflix on February 10, 2025 and immediately started making a run up the charts. According to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks streaming viewership figures across the various platforms, “Aftermath” moved into the number two spot in the United States on February 11 before hitting number one the following day. Not bad for a movie that doesn’t have a single Top Critic review on Rotten Tomatoes.
But that’s not the entire story. “Aftermath” is also faring well in a handful of other countries, hitting number one in Australia, Canada, Malta, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom on February 12, 2025. What’s more, it actually debuted in the charts at number one in Australia and New Zealand and looks set to take the top spot in Ireland, where it sits at number two at the time of this writing.
Whether “Aftermath” will make its way onto the charts in other countries remains to be seen. But regardless of whether you think we needed a new streaming “Die Hard” imitator just weeks after “Carry-On” gave us the 2024 version of “Die Hard 2,” there’s no denying this is a nice little streaming bump for the Dylan Sprouse-led actioner. Unfortunately for Sprouse, his film isn’t charting in enough countries for it to hit the worldwide Top 10 just yet, but perhaps that could change as the week plays out.
Aftermath’s Netflix dominance faces competition and horrible reviews
At the time of writing, there are no Top Critic reviews for Aftermath available on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s a bad sign in and of itself, but things get even worse if we take a look at the audience reviews. “It’s really bad, like really bad,” writes one viewer, while another labelled the film “confusing, convoluted, fake, ridiculous, poorly acted and lacking investment in central characters.” In fairness, not every audience member’s take was as derisive. In fact, there are a few three and four-star reviews for “Aftermath” on Rotten Tomatoes, with one audience reviewer writing, “Really gives that 80s action movie vibe,” while another described the film as a “great action movie that reminded me a lot of the Die Hard series” — though someone else did describe the film as “visual cancer,” which is a bit of a shame.
So, we turn to social media, where audience reactions are also starting to pile up. Unfortunately, things don’t look too good for “Aftermath” here, either, with users decrying the CGI as “horrible” and offering this insight: “This #Aftermath movie is giving AI asf.” That said, there are a few fire emojis to speak of in the reactions, so not everybody felt the same. Ultimately, the most important and relevant reaction came from another user who asked the pressing question, “Which Sprouse twin on this ‘Aftermath’ movie on Netflix?”
Meanwhile, in order to hold onto its number one position, “Aftermath” will have to fend off Amy Schumer’s new comedy “Kinda Pregnant,” which topped the Netflix charts before being dethroned by Dylan Sprouse. Schumer is now number two in the United States, but if more and more people start catching on to that fact that “Aftermath” is “giving AI asf,” she might just be able to retake the top spot. Elsewhere, Cameron Diaz’s first film in 11 years, “Back in Action” is the Netflix movie that refuses to die. After maintaining a spot on the charts for three weeks, the film has jumped three spaces to retake number six in the U.S., suggesting that it could be making another run and setting up the ultimate battle between Diaz and that one Sprouse twin.