2024 has been an incredible year for movies, both on the big and small screen. On the streaming side of the equation, one of Netflix’s most talked about films going into this holiday season has been Carry-On. The Jaume Collet-Serra-directed thriller starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman lit up the runway this past weekend. Carry-On quickly topped Netflix‘s Top 10 chart thanks to some great word of mouth. Now, Carry-On has become the streamer’s biggest debut of the year, garnering 42 million views in the week of December 8-15.
It’s all the more impressive since the thriller debuted at the tail end of the week on Friday, December 13, and these views just covered its first three days. The film also was in Netflix’s Top 10 in 92 countries. The 85% certified-fresh Rotten Tomatoes score certainly contributed to that success. Behind Carry-On in the film category were a trio of holiday titles. This includes That Christmas at 17.1 million views and both Mary and Dr. Suess’ The Grinch at 13.2 million views apiece.
What Is ‘Carry-On’ About?
Carry-On follows a young TSA agent named Ethan Kopek (Egerton) who’s just getting by at his job and his life at home with his girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson). One of his Christmas surprises is finding out Nora’s pregnant, which puts his mind in a tailspin. This inadvertently causes his eagerness to get a promotion at work on Christmas Eve to get the better of him. Especially when he’s put to the ultimate life-threatening test and gets blackmailed by a mysterious figure (Bateman) to let a dangerous package clear a checkpoint. A small thread in a larger terrorist plot, Ethan has to decide his next moves very carefully as his actions determine whether Nora survives this holiday airport nightmare.
While the Christmas season is no stranger to amazing action-thrillers, Die Hard and Violent Night being some of the best examples, Carry-On is only a throwback in the sense that it’s confidently made. From the heart-pounding suspense that has new creative twists around every corner to the amazing performances, you’re satisfyingly on the edge of your seat for two straight hours. Collet-Serra’s stellar direction keeps you guessing every second and the head-to-head battle between Egerton and Bateman is one of the year’s best. Carry-On is up there with some of the more complex and best films Netflix has ever produced.
Keep Calm and ‘Carry-On’
Before you dive head-first into Carry-On’s intense madness, you can view the trailer down below. As we get closer and closer to the holiday break, expect the numbers for this explosive Netflix Christmas showdown to steadily go up by the new year.
via Collider