In a twist that would make even the most seasoned Hollywood analyst do a double take, Peter Berg's 2012 naval epic Battleship has suddenly become one of the most-watched movies on Prime Video this May. Yes, the same film that famously sank at the box office with a $303 million global haul against a $220 million budget—losing Universal an estimated $150 million—is now riding a streaming wave that has caught the industry by surprise.
For Berg, this unexpected resurgence comes at a pivotal moment. The director recently signed on to helm the live-action Call of Duty adaptation, with Taylor Sheridan penning the script. It's a full-circle moment for a filmmaker who first dipped his toes into video game adaptations with Battleship, a movie that was meant to launch a Hasbro cinematic universe alongside G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. That plan didn't exactly go as intended—both films underperformed, with G.I. Joe earning $302 million worldwide on a $175 million budget.
But here's the thing about streaming: it has a way of resurrecting the dead. Just as Gerard Butler's Greenland 2: Migration found a second life on HBO Max after a disappointing theatrical run, Battleship is now proving that a movie's legacy isn't written in box office numbers alone. According to FlixPatrol, the film has climbed the domestic Prime Video charts, drawing in viewers who either missed it the first time or are curious about the spectacle that critics panned.
Critics were indeed harsh. Battleship holds a 34% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus calling it "too loud, poorly written, and formulaic." Yet Berg's ambition was undeniable: he wanted to create a modern naval warfare epic in the vein of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which itself enjoyed a reappraisal years after release. That film, starring Russell Crowe, saw renewed interest around the time Tom Hanks' Greyhound became a hit on Apple TV+. Greyhound remains popular and has a sequel in development.
Berg's Battleship may not have spawned a franchise, but it did forge a lasting creative partnership. He and star Taylor Kitsch reunited for the critically acclaimed war drama Lone Survivor and later for the Netflix Western series American Primeval. Kitsch, along with a cast that included Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano, Rihanna, and Brooklyn Decker, brought a certain earnestness to the film that seems to be resonating with streaming audiences now.
This streaming success story is part of a larger trend where big-budget flops find new life on digital platforms. Jason Statham's Shelter similarly found a second wind on Blu-ray after struggling in theaters. For Battleship, the timing couldn't be better: as Berg prepares to tackle Call of Duty, audiences are rediscovering his earlier attempt at game-to-screen adaptation—and this time, they're actually enjoying the ride.
Whether this streaming spike will lead to a sequel remains unlikely, but it's a reminder that in the age of streaming, a movie's shelf life is longer than ever. For now, Battleship is finally getting the attention it always wanted—just 14 years late and on a different screen.
