A Taylor Sheridan action movie sequel that grossed $76 million is performing well on streaming following the Netflix success of its Oscar-winning predecessor. After an acting breakout joining the cast of Sons of Anarchy, Sheridan moved into screenwriting in his 40s, with his debut screenplay being Denis Villeneuve’s esteemed crime-thriller Sicario. He also penned the script for Hell Or High Water, starring Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges, before writing and directing the neo-Western crime movie Wind River. He has also directed and co-wrote the 2021 Angelina Jolie crime thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead.
Sheridan has also proven to be a prolific television writer, and has created seven shows for Paramount, including the popular neo-Western drama Yellowstone, which starred Kevin Costner. He created and wrote two Yellowstone spinoffs, 1923, and the single-season miniseries 1883, but has also moved away from the Western genre, creating Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, and Sylvester Stallone’s crime epic Tulsa King. All these have proven hugely successful, but it is one of Sheridan’s lesser-known projects that is currently making waves on streaming.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado Is Storming The Paramount+ Charts
The Movie Is Enjoying An Impressive Resurgence
Penned by Sheridan and directed by Stefano Sollima, Sicario: Day of the Soldado was released in 2018, and serves as a sequel to 2015’s Sicario, which starred Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin. The sequel sees del Toro and Brolin reprise their roles, with the story focused on the issue of human trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border and attempts by the US government to incite tensions between rival cartels. The movie received positive reviews from critics, grossing $75.8 million during its theatrical run, and has found a new lease of life on Paramount+.
There are likely two key reasons for Day of the Soldado‘s streaming success; one is that the Netflix success of Sicario has generated more interest in the follow-up movie, and the other is Sheridan’s presence on Paramount+.
According to the Paramount+ Top 10 Movies in the United States for March 24, via Flix Patrol, the movie has climbed to #3 after 11 days in the charts. This ranks it above Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Top Gun: Maverick, Only the Brave, The Painter, Son of a Gun, September 5, and Gladiator. It only stands below Gladiator II and Long Gone Heroes. The movie climbed the chart in the past few days, at one point being at #7.
Our Take On Sicario: Day Of The Soldado’s Streaming Success
Sheridan’s Strong Paramount+ Presence Wil Have Helped
Sicario: Day of the Soldado is succeeding on streaming despite the less-than-stellar reviews it got at the time of its release. The action franchise saw a big dip between the first and the second movies. While 2015’s Sicario got a nearly universally approved 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, the 2018 sequel only managed to get a 62% Tomatometer, just barely ticking it into the fresh zone. One of its detractors was Screen Rant‘s Sandy Schaefer, who gave the movie a 5 out of 10 and noted that “not every movie needs a sequel.”
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Sicario Movies Comparison |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Title (Year) |
Domestic Box Office |
Worldwide Box Office Total |
RT Tomatometer |
RT Popcornmeter |
|
Sicario (2015) |
$46.8 million |
$84.9 million |
92% |
85% |
|
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018) |
$50 million |
$75.8 million |
62% |
66% |
There are likely two key reasons for Day of the Soldado‘s streaming success; one is that the Netflix success of Sicario has generated more interest in the follow-up movie, and the other is Sheridan’s presence on Paramount+. His works include the recent Billy Bob Thornton series Landman, which has enjoyed recent success, while hit show 1923 currently tops the Paramount Top 10 TV Shows list, at the time of writing, which will have generated audience interest in other Sheridan projects as well.
What This Means For Taylor Sheridan &The Sicario Franchise
Sicario 3 Looks More Likely
Sheridan’s name has been heating up overall in recent years, but now is a particularly good time for his projects to be doing well. Within the last few weeks, Landman season 2 and Tulsa King season 3 were both confirmed. In Landman‘s case, its premiere season has been seeing success, and its filming timeline makes it possible for the series to come out later this year. The creator is also developing multiple spinoffs of Yellowstone. Sicario: Day of the Soldado‘s success, as a result, could not be better timed.
The resurgence of both the original film on Netflix and the sequel on Paramount+ could also be good news for Sicario 3. The threequel was confirmed by one of its producers, but has been stuck in development hell for years. In 2024, Brolin said that they were “closer” to making the movie happen, but was not sure what Sheridan’s level of involvement would be.
Sheridan is a busy person these days, so the resurgence of Sicario: Day of the Soldado on Paramount+ in no way confirms that he would be returning for another installment. The renewed interest does, however, act as a sign of hope for Sicario 3, as the continued audience engagement could incentivize the studio to make progress on the film. It will be interesting to see how this Sicario 3 news develops if the first two movies stay trending.
Source: Flix Patrol