Russell Crowe’s R-Rated Mystery Movie Needing A Sequel Is Back As One Of Streaming's Biggest Hits

Published Nov 2, 2026, 4:17 PM EST Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends. An all-time favorite Russell Crowe mystery film is back to claim its streaming crown. While the Oscar winner has nearly every kind of genre under the belt of his 54-year career, the world of mysteries has been a core part since his international breakthrough with the neo-noir classic L.A. Confidential. The 30 years since have seen him return with everything from the underrated political thriller State of Play, the sleeper hit Sleeping Dogs and one film that saw its original streaming plans dashed. Co-written and directed by Shane Black, The Nice Guys was led by Crowe as independent enforcer Jackson Healy, whose work helping a young woman entangles him with down-on-his-luck private detective Holland March, played by Ryan Gosling. As they reluctantly partner to search for Healy's missing client, the pair fall down a much more dangerous rabbit hole of Los Angeles' seedy underbelly in the late '70s. Also starring Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley and Keith David, among others, The Nice Guys became a critical smash upon its release, with praise directed toward Black's script and direction, and the chemistry between Crowe and Gosling in their buddy cop pairing. The same could not be said for its box office, however, as the R-rated mystery comedy failed to match up to its fellow new releases, Neighbors 2 and The Angry Birds Movie, ultimately underperforming with just under $63 million grossed against its $50 million production budget. The Nice Guys Is Back To Solve The Case Of Apple TV's Top 10 Now, on the heels of the film's 10th anniversary, The Nice Guys is back and surging up Apple TV's streaming charts. Per FlixPatrol, the R-rated mystery comedy is situated in the No. 5 position on the platform, having bumped down Brad Pitt's hit F1 from the same position, as well as the acclaimed documentary The Last First: Winter K2. The rest of the chart's changes are rounded out by the Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal-led Prisoners making its debut at No. 9, and A Charlie Brown Christmas dropping to the No. 10 spot. Beyond its recent anniversary celebration, The Nice Guys' sharp rise comes as the film finally makes its return to streaming in the United States on Apple TV. The movie had previously made a home for itself on the streamer in 2024, where it peaked at the No. 2 position, and with it having only just returned to the platform without being available anywhere else, it will be interesting to see if it can surpass its previous high. Could The Nice Guys 2 Ever Happen? Though Black was appropriately cautious about a sequel being made around the time of the film's release, there have always been talks about a potential Nice Guys 2 throughout the past decade. At one point, Fox even entered development on a female-led remake for a TV series, penned by future Terminal List alum Michael Diliberti, though it never ultimately got off the ground. The biggest hurdle in making The Nice Guys 2 happen has been justifying the cost among producers following the first film's underperformance, with both Black and Gosling affirming the box office disappointment left them needing more. Producer Ken Kao did previously tease to ScreenRant that talks were still ongoing with Joel Silver about making a sequel, especially after Gosling's The Fall Guy reignited interest in one: Ken Kao: Funny enough, Joel Silver had reached out to a mutual acquaintance of mine and brought up Nice Guys this past week, and it sparked a conversation about exactly [that]. Like, "What would it take, maybe, to get [The Nice Guys 2] to happen again?" And I think that we just have to make it on a budget. I think that continues to be the producers' challenge and the filmmakers' challenge now. I think the sign of the times is that we've just got to make films in a sustainable and responsible way. We can't keep having movies that don't work at the box office, and it seems like the streamers aren't going to just cut blank checks anymore. So we've got to figure out a way in this industry to make movies in ways that reward the people that make them. That also are made in a contained way where those that are releasing the films can continue to feel incentivized to do so. And I think that's the task, that's the challenge for us, as producers, to pull that off. Given Gosling remains one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood, especially as he finally joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its Ghost Rider reboot, it will certainly still cost a pretty penny to get everyone back together for a sequel to The Nice Guys. However, with everyone remaining open to the prospect of returning, and it frequently appearing on streaming's top charts, fans of the film are sure to hold out hope a follow-up will one day materialize. Release Date May 20, 2016 Runtime 116minutes Director Shane Black Directed by Shane Black and starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, The Nice Guys tells the story of a private investigator and a hired enforcer who team up to investigate the disappearance of a young woman. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the 2016 comedy thriller puts a modern spin on the noir genre. Writers Anthony Bagarozzi, Shane Black Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures