Overlooked Margot Robbie crime caper is now a hit on Netflix

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Focus, which stars Robbie and Will Smith, sits atop Netflix’s daily Top 10 for movies in the US.

Margot Robbie in Focus
Margot Robbie in Focus (Image credit: Warner Bros./Cinematic/Alamy Stock Photo)

Ever since her groundbreaking debut in The Wolf of Wall Street, pretty much any Margot Robbie movie has grabbed audiences’ attention, capped off by 2023’s megahit Barbie. Oddly enough though, Focus, in which she starred opposite another A-lister in Will Smith, kind of got lost in the shuffle. That’s changing following the movie’s recent debut on Netflix, as it has shot up to the top spot of most-watched movies in the US just a day after it premiered on the streamer, November 10.

Released in 2015, Focus follows professional con man Nicky (Smith) as he attempts to take on a big score from a dangerous individual, only to have his plans thrown for a loop when his old protégé (Robbie) who he had a budding romance with is also on the scene. Written and directed by the duo behind Crazy, Stupid, Love (Glenn Ficarra and John Requa), Focus wasn’t able to keep audiences’ attention at the time; the movie is classified as “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes and made just over $53 million at the US box office ($159 million globally).

Focus has found new life on Netflix though, as it sits atop the daily Top 10 for movies in the US on November 11, besting Netflix original Christmas movie Meet Me Next Christmas and the Sandra Bullock adventure movie The Lost City.

I remember seeing Focus in movie theaters back in 2015 and that it was a fun, no fuss movie. There’s some plot twists that are a bit strained, but the chemistry between Robbie and Smith is great and a couple of scenes that stick out — when Smith’s Nicky and Robbie’s Jess get caught in an intense series of bets with a high stakes gambler played by BD Wong.

Ultimately, paying $12-$15 bucks at the time to see Focus in theaters may have kept some audiences members away, but now that it’s streaming on Netflix, it’s definitely the type of breezy, enjoyable movie that tends to fare well on Netflix.

However, if you aren’t in the US, Focus may not be streaming on Netflix for you (it’s definitely not in the UK). If that’s the case or you’re in the US but don’t have Netflix, Focus is available through digital on-demand platforms.

Check out the Focus trailer right here to get a preview of the movie:

Focus - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube Focus - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube
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Michael Balderston
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.