David Ayer and Shia LaBeouf’s Crime Thriller Surges in Streaming Popularity Four Years After 17% Rotten Tomatoes Rating

Shia LaBeouf has experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to the streaming success of his crime drama directed by David Ayer, four years post-release. LaBeouf, who garnered fame as a child star in Disney’s Even Stevens, transitioned into more adult roles with notable performances in films like Holes and The Even Stevens Movie. As his career progressed, he landed featured roles in significant blockbusters, including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the initial trilogy of Transformers films.

David Ayer, the director behind LaBeouf’s latest project, is recognized not only for his previous collaboration on the 2014 war film Fury but also for his extensive filmography that spans various genres. He is perhaps best known for his 2016 film Suicide Squad from the DC Extended Universe, along with other acclaimed works like the 2012 cop drama End of Watch starring Jake Gyllenhaal, and the 2017 Netflix hit Bright, which marked a significant step for Netflix into scalable cinematic productions.

The Tax Collector Is Finding New Life On Streaming

The Movie Debuted In 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBhUWv5Hzqc

The Tax Collector – OFFICIAL TRAILER (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBhUWv5Hzqc)

The follow-up collaboration between LaBeouf and Ayer, titled The Tax Collector, is rediscovering its audience through streaming platforms. Released in August 2020, the film showcased LaBeouf as “Creeper, ”a menacing tax collector facing a gang war alongside his partner, David Cuevas (portrayed by Bobby Soto).The cast also boasts talents such as George Lopez, Jay Reeves, Lana Parrilla, and Jimmy Smits. Despite its star-studded lineup, the movie struggled at the box office, grossing a mere $1.3 million against a projected budget of $4 million and receiving a stark Rotten Tomatoes rating of just 17%.

The Tax Collector found itself in theaters during the restrictive period of the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted movie attendance and ticket sales worldwide.

Currently, this film has climbed to the No.2 spot on Hulu’s daily viewership chart, maintaining this position for over six consecutive days. It is only surpassed by the iconic 1997 film Titanic, which remains one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Previously, it had held the No.2 ranking behind the recent Scott Adkins action-thriller Take Cover, which has since dropped to No.4.

What This Means For The Tax Collector

Audiences Are Enjoying The David Ayer Movie

Shia Lebeouf and Bobby Soto standing together on the street in David Ayer's Tax Collector

The recent performance of LaBeouf’s film on streaming platforms suggests its potential to resonate with viewers—perhaps overshadowed by the challenges of a pandemic-impacted release in 2020. While initial critic reviews were unfavorable, the audience response appears more positive, with a commendable Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 73%, classified as “Fresh”on the Popcornmeter. This engagement may signal a promising trajectory for the film in the streaming space as it continues attracting new viewers and building a solid fan base.

Source: Hulu

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