Prime Video's streaming charts have a new champion, and it's a rowdy comedy that just scored a major upset. After a two-week reign at the top, the sleek, star-powered heist film Crime 101, led by Chris Hemsworth, has been knocked from its perch. The film that accomplished this feat? Mark Wahlberg's latest, the action-comedy Balls Up.
Crime 101 arrived on the platform with considerable pedigree. Featuring a cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, and Barry Keoghan alongside Hemsworth, the neo-noir thriller was designed as a hybrid release. Its theatrical run, which reportedly failed to recoup its $90 million budget, served as a high-profile launchpad for its streaming debut, where it's marketed as an original in many regions. The strategy worked, propelling it to the number one spot with the help of a stellar 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, its successor took a very different path. Balls Up, directed by Peter Farrelly, bypassed theaters entirely and landed directly on Prime Video to immediate audience fanfare. The film stars Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser as marketing executives whose World Cup celebrations in Brazil spiral into a scandal they must desperately escape.
The timing of its release appears strategic, capitalizing on global soccer fever ahead of the upcoming World Cup hosted across North America. While it shares a sports-adjacent theme with recent hits like Netflix's Ronaldinho documentary, Balls Up is pure comedic chaos. Its critical reception has been far less kind than Crime 101's, holding a meager 28% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, this has done nothing to dampen its popularity with subscribers.
According to streaming data authority FlixPatrol, Balls Up now holds the top movie position both globally and in the United States. This demonstrates a recurring theme in the streaming era: audience taste doesn't always align with critical consensus. A film crafted purely for streaming success is achieving exactly that goal.
The director behind this upset, Peter Farrelly, has notably evolved from his earlier work with his brother Bobby on comedies like Dumb and Dumber. Since their professional separation—a trend seen with other directorial duos like the Coen Brothers—Peter has pursued more dramatic projects like the Oscar-winning Green Book. He has another awards contender, I Play Rocky, lined up for later this year. Balls Up marks a return to his broad comedy roots, proving his knack for crowd-pleasing humor remains intact.
For fans of the dethroned Crime 101, its slide from the peak doesn't diminish its quality as a gripping heist story. If you're looking for more top-tier tension, consider our guide to The Essential Thrillers: 5 Films That Built the Genre's DNA. Meanwhile, the success of Wahlberg's film underscores Prime Video's strength in action-comedy, a space also dominated by hits like Chris Pratt's 'The Terminal List'.
This chart shakeup highlights the dynamic and unpredictable nature of streaming popularity. One week, a critically acclaimed, big-budget thriller rules; the next, a raucous, review-proof comedy takes the crown. It's a reminder that in the battle for viewers' attention, sometimes all you need is a big star, a wild premise, and perfect timing.
