Mel Gibson has a hit movie on Netflix.
The 68-year-old, who was recently seen having family dinner in Malibu, has the second most viewed movie on the streaming service.
The ‘Netflix Effect’ occurs when a show or movie gains popularity after being added to the platform.
That’s exactly what happened with a little-known 2022 film called On The Line, starring the Oscar winner, which has had a resurgence since it was added to the streamer.
The film is more popular than newer ads, including Lindsay Lohan’s Irish Wish, Regina King’s Shirley and Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel.
Mel Gibson’s 2022 thriller On The Line is Netflix’s second most popular movie, thanks to the ‘Netflix Effect’
The only most popular movie in the similarly titled Mending the Line, another 2022 movie, starring Succession’s Brian Cox.
In On the Line, Gibson plays Elvis, a radio host who you can call to talk about “all your issues and problems.”
Everything is going well on the job front, until a person named Gary, who has a grudge against Elvis, threatens his family and begins a game of digital cat and mouse.
The film received a score of 20 percent from critics and a score of 32 percent from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Digital trends called it a great movie to watch with friends “during a drinking game.”
Gibson used to be an A-list Hollywood star, headlining blockbuster films like Maverick and Ransom, after rising to fame in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapons franchises.
He won an Oscar for Best Director for 1995’s Braveheart. The film also won Best Picture.
The Passion of the Christ director’s career collapsed after he was arrested for driving under the influence in Malibu in 2006. While being processed by police, he unleashed an anti-Semitic tirade against the arresting officer.
In leaked tapes released in 2010, he could be heard shouting racist comments, including the n-word at his then-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who also accused him of physical violence. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of spousal battery in 2011 and was sentenced to three years of probation, domestic violence counseling and two days of community service.
In On the Line, Gibson plays Elvis, a radio host who you can call to talk about “all your issues and problems.” Everything is going well on the job front, until a person named Gary threatens his family and a game of digital cat and mouse begins.
The thriller enjoyed a surge in popularity after it was added to the platform, surpassing Lindsay Lohan’s Irish Wish, Regina King’s Shirley and Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel.
The actor also has a history of making anti-LGBTQ comments.
Since then, he has mainly appeared in low-budget, low-rated action films, such as On the Line.
But some A-list stars have hired him to work on some mainstream movies, including The Expendables 3, with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as Father Stu, with Mark Wahlberg.
Gibson used to enjoy A-list status in Hollywood after rising to fame in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon franchises. He won an Oscar for Best Director for 1995’s Braveheart. The film also won Best Picture (photographed in Los Angeles in March 1996).
The Passion of the Christ director’s career collapsed after he made anti-Semitic comments when he was arrested for driving under the influence in Malibu in 2006. In 2011, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery (mugshot from 2011).
He has been hired by some A-list stars to work on some mainstream films, including The Expendables 3, with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as Father Stu, with Mark Wahlberg (pictured in Beverly Hills in April 2022).
The Passion of the Christ director has several upcoming projects in front of and behind the camera, including Flight Risk with Mark Wahlberg and the fantasy adventure Boys of Summer (shot in Paris in June 2021).
He directed the 2016 Oscar-winning war film Hacksaw Ridge, starring Andrew Garfield as Army medic Desmond T. Doss, who rescued 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa without firing a single shot.
The World War II drama is still rated as one of the “most liked” movies on Netflix after its debut on the service in September 2023.
According to IMDB, Gibson recently finished directing Flight Risk, a thriller starring Mark Wahlberg, Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace. Gibson is also a producer on the project.
He will next be seen in the fantasy adventure Boys of Summer with Lorraine Bracco and Mason Thames. The film is expected to be released in August.