Denzel Washington is one of the most beloved and acclaimed actors of his generation, making any time he has a new movie a particularly notable event. However, as it did with many things, the COVID pandemic messed up Washington's then-anticipated new thriller The Little Things. Now, three years later, the movie has found new life as Netflix viewers are streaming it.
The Little Things was written and directed by John Lee Hancock and starred Washington as a small-town cop sent to Los Angeles to gather some evidence, only to become embroiled in a search for a serial killer. The movie starred three Oscar winners, with Rami Malek and Jared Leto joining Washington in the cast.
After debuting on Netflix on April 1, The Little Things has been one of the most popular movies on the streaming service. In its first week on the platform it generated 8.7 million views, second best among all English-language movies. Its dominance has continued into the second week, as the movie has been the most popular movie in the US on April 8, April 9 and today, April 10 (as of right now, The Little Things is only available to stream on Netflix in the US).
This is definitely the widest audience that The Little Things has garnered since it came out. Its first run began on January 29, 2021, when it debuted both in movie theaters and on Max (then HBO Max) at the same time. Of course, movie theaters were still not operating at full capacity because of the pandemic (The Little Things' box office affirms that, as it made $30.8 million worldwide) and Max served a smaller subscriber base.
Initial reviews also did not help The Little Things. The movie currently has a "Rotten" score from critics on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, though general audiences that saw the movie give it a better rating of 67% positive.
The renewed interest in the movie has left some people confused, but others appear to be enjoying the "new" discovery. Check out some of the social reactions, including one from one of its stars:
In case anyone cares. Some good Netflix stuff —The GentlemenThe Little ThingsOld DadsThat’s all I’ve got over the past few monthsApril 5, 2024
Why is the number one movie on Netflix something that was dropped directly onto HBO Max in 2021 and has been there for free since, and that no one even liked to begin with??? Is Netflix just lying at this point or are audiences just insanely stupid pic.twitter.com/WMcoaNjmRNApril 9, 2024
This movie “the little things “ on Netflix with Denzel, Washington is GOOD!!!April 4, 2024
The little things on Netflix is crazy😭April 3, 2024
Excited to see you all enjoying The Little Things now on @netflix 🖤Getting to work with the incredible Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and John Lee Hancock was an experience like no otherHave you watched yet? What’d you think of Albert Sparma 🥸 @wbpictures pic.twitter.com/4T0IE9m89RApril 8, 2024
If you're curious, here are some other movies that are currently trending on Netflix in the US: Glass, Scoop, Megan Leavey, Happy Gilmore, Hotel Transylvania (1 & 2) and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
You can watch The Little Things on Netflix right now, as well as on Max. If you are in the UK, the movie is available via digital on-demand platforms.
