‘Extraction 2’ Scores Biggest Netflix Movie Debut of 2023

The summer movie season is already off to a blistering start. On the streaming side of the equation, there was no action movie as highly anticipated as Sam Hargrave’s Extraction 2. The sequel to the hit 2020 Netflix film, once again starring Chris Hemsworth as the hardened Tyler Rake, just crashed onto the streamer this past weekend. Now it’s being reported that Extraction 2 has had the biggest Netflix opening weekend of 2023.

According to Netflix themselves, Extraction 2 was watched over 42.8 million times in its first three days of release. This brings its total time watched around the globe to 88 million hours which easily made it the #1 Netflix film of the week. This means the sequel passed another of the streamer’s action movies, The Mother starring Jennifer Lopez which debuted last month, for the top 2023 spot. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Extraction 2 was viewed more than last year’s massive Netflix hit Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery which premiered at 82.14 million hours viewed and had the streamer’s biggest theatrical campaign in its history behind it. The film also dropped just behind The Gray Man which premiered at 88.55 million hours viewed and was another action film from Extraction producers Joe and Anthony Russo.

There are many reasons that can account for Extraction 2’s hot start. The backing of the Russo Brothers, the first film being a great action thriller, and the intrigue of how Tyler Rake survived the original are just a few key points. However, the main reason this sequel is killing it is that Extraction 2 takes everything that was explosively good about the first film and shoots it up with adrenaline pumping steroids. To say the action is even crazier in this sequel would be a grave understatement. From the awe-inspiring direction to the creative kills to the now stop chase pace of the story, audiences were on the edge of their seats the entire time they watched. There’s a one-take 21 minute action sequence in particular that will go down as one the most mind-blowing achievements in the genre’s history. Just think of the iconic train sequence from the game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves mixed in with the best Call a Duty levels while adding insane stunts like a helicopter landing on a moving train. That only begins to describe the bloody magic of this marvelous action set piece.

RELATED: Watch Chris Hemsworth Break Down His ‘Extraction 2’ Stunts New Featurette

However, this film isn’t just all out action as it does a nice job progressing Tyler’s character by going deeper into his tragic past. How his personal journey connects to the mission he’s on adds a lot of emotional weight to the already bone crunching action. Hargrave and Hemsworth’s godlike commitment to practical action combined with Russo’s heavier screenplay is a match made in action movie heaven.

While there hasn’t been an official green light for an Extraction 3, these impressive numbers more than make that an inevitable reality. Extraction 2’s ending leaves the door open for more sequels, so until we get the confirmation that Tyler Rake will return with more death defying action, you can watch both Extraction films on Netflix now. The trailer for Extraction 2 can be seen down below.