Alita: Battle Angel is proving popular with Netflix subscribers, having landed on the platform on November 8. The 2019 sci-fi flick is currently number two on the streamer’s Top 10 movie chart, acting as a runner-up to festive rom-com Meet Me Next Christmas.
Impressive, really, considering it’s not a new release and it was only added to Netflix’s catalogue six days ago. Other titles in the top 5 include Let Go, Time Cut, and The Buckingham Murders.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel takes inspiration from Yukito Kishiro’s manga series Battle Angel Alita. Starring Christoph Waltz, Ed Skrein, Keean Johnson, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, and Rosa Salazar as a recently reactivated combat cyborg, it follows the titular teenage bot as she tries to learn more about her past and true identity.
Despite fairly mixed reviews, the movie made over $400 million at the worldwide box office, doubling its budget, and fans have been clamoring for a sequel ever since it came out. There’s even an online petition, which asks Rodriguez to continue Alita’s story.
“Netflix has started showing Alita: Battle Angel in Australia, UK and other countries and today the #AlitaSequel petition increased by 7 signatures. It seems Netflix is helping,” wrote one enthusiasist on Twitter.
“Yeah, we have been talking about it, so we would love to make one,” Rodriguez previously told GamesRadar+. “We haven’t set it for sure yet, but we’re definitely hoping to and talking about it a lot. They’re slammed with all the Avatar stuff, but they’ve definitely been engaging in it.”
For more, check out our picks of the best sci-fi movies streaming on Netflix now.