Shailene Woodley’s teen-dystopian film “Divergent” has entered the Top 10 of the most-watched movies in the US, according to FlixPatrol. The movie has reached the sixth spot of the most streamed chart, just four days after premiering on the platform.
The franchise, which consists of three movies, is all available to watch on the platform. Apart from Woodley, it stars Theo James, in one of his breakthrough roles as Four. The film series is based on the novels by Veronica Roth.
Directed by Neil Burger, “Divergent” originally was released in 2015 and it was set to continue the tradition of young adult adaptations, after “Harry Potter,” “Twilight” and, especially, “The Hunger Games.”
Netflix: ‘Divergent’ with Shailene Woodly is trending in the US
“Divergent” is set in a dystopian and post-apocalyptic Chicago, where people are divided into five distinct factions based on human virtues. The story follows Beatrice Prior (Woodley), who chooses Dauntless as her faction but discovers that she is a “divergent,” and will never fit into any of the factions. Alongside the mysterious Four (James), she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents and has to stop it before it is too late.
After its theatrical release, “Divergent” received mixed reviews from critics. Woodley’s and James’s performances were praised, as well as the action sequences, however, the post-apocalyptic world felt too familiar and too generic to actually work, according to the experts.
Despite that, the film was a box office success, grossing almost $290 million worldwide against a budget of $85 million. Thanks to these numbers, Lionsgate, who was also behind “Twilight,” decided to greenlight a franchise. However, it was cut short with the third film, which was supposed to be the first part of a two-movie adaptation of the last novel of the series.
While the reception wasn’t precisely positive, it helped launch the careers of the cast. Not only Woodley and James, but also other big names such as Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Zoë Kravitz, and Bill Skarsgård.