Mark Ruffalo’s Recent $118M Budget Sci-Fi Flop Unfreezes As Netflix Global Streaming Hit

Published Aug 26, 2026, 12:25 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Mark Ruffalo is one of the stars of a major sci-fi movie that is rising on Netflix's charts. Ruffalo is no stranger to the sci-fi genre, as his role in many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's best movies could not be any more sci-fi related. In the Marvel franchise, the actor has been playing Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, since 2012's The Avengers, having recently returned as the character as part of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's cast. Among Ruffalo's best movies are also sci-fi entries like the classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Netflix's The Adam Project. Recently, the actor played the main villain role in Mickey 17, a sci-fi movie from the mind of director Bong Joon Ho. In fact, the sci-fi movie was the project that finally saw one of the best directors of all time return after six years. Ho's last film prior to Mickey 17 had been Parasite, which won four Academy Awards after its theatrical release in 2019. Mickey 17 turned out to be a box office bomb, finishing its theatrical run with $133.5 million against a reported budget of $118 million. Now, Mickey 17 is Netflix's 8th most-watched movie worldwide, according to FlixPatrol. Why Mickey 17 Is Blowing Up On Streaming Now Based on Mickey 17's $118 million budget, the sci-fi movie needed to land between $236 million and $295 million to break even. Given how it never got close to the lower end of that projection, the film lost millions. However, Mickey 17 has now found its streaming redemption on Netflix around the world — the sci-fi movie is available to stream on HBO Max in the United States — and it makes a lot of sense. After all, Ruffalo is only one of the stars in Mickey 17's cast. The genre release stars Robert Pattinson as the title character. As Mickey, Pattinson delivers an energetic performance, playing a character who serves as a worker used for extreme missions for his space colony, as Mickey can just be easily cloned over and over after he dies. 2026's lineup of movies has been perfect for Pattinson. The actor has starred in two hits so far, The Drama opposite Zendaya, and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, with major releases yet to come in the form of Primetime and Dune: Part Three. Pattinson's streak of major movies in 2026 is likely boosting Mickey 17's Netflix performance. Stars like Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and more also help. Mickey 17 Has The Makings Of A Modern Cult Classic While it might have been a box office flop, Mickey 17's newfound global success on Netflix could be the first step for it to become a cult classic. That long list of movies that failed initially in theaters but developed a loyal following over the years includes genre releases like Nathan Fillion's Serenity, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, and many more. Mickey 17 is exactly the type of unique sci-fi release with impressive visuals, a phenomenal director, and vibrant performances from its stars to turn into a cult classic. Ruffalo has the time of his life as the mustache-twirling villain Kenneth Marshall, while Pattinson is utterly charismatic as the naive Mickey. That core dynamic, as well as the excitement over the clone setup, should make Mickey 17 continue to be remembered long after this newfound Netflix success. Release Date February 28, 2025 Runtime 137 minutes Director Bong Joon Ho Writers Bong Joon Ho, Edward Ashton Producers Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Marianne Jenkins, Dooho Choi, Jesse Ehrman