Popular Action Blockbuster Leaving Netflix 13 Years After Box Office Disappointment

Matt Damon has proven himself to be one of his generation's most reliable action stars, with acclaimed movies such as The Bourne Identity and The Last Duel under his belt—and in 2013, he released one of his most underrated projects.

Elysium is a sci-fi action movie that follows a bionically engineered soldier in a near-future Earth who undertakes a dangerous journey to reach Elysium—a lavish space station in Earth's orbit where the planet's ultra-elite have escaped to.

The film received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising Damon's lead performance but ultimately criticizing the stilted storytelling from sci-fi veteran Neil Blomkamp. The director had made a name for himself four years prior with District 9, but Elysium ultimately failed to replicate his success.

Elysium pulled in roughly $286 million worldwide, but ultimately wasn't profitable for the studio due to its immense blockbuster budget. The film reportedly cost $115 million to make, with just as much being pumped into marketing and distribution costs.

Despite the talent involved both in front and behind the cameras, Elysium was unfortunately hindered by its poor reviews and underwhelming word-of-mouth. The film currently sits at just 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score even lower at 58%.

That being said, Elysium has been somewhat reevaluated in the years since its release as a bold, ambitious sci-fi movie that was ahead of its time. The story about social divide and growing classism has proven dangerously relevant, while the special effects and action set pieces still manage to hold up today.

Not everybody was so critical of Elysium when it was first released; Empiregave the film a four-star review, writing: "Using hand-held, grubby, jittery camera style and extremely polished CGI, Blomkamp stages extraordinary, visceral moments [...] It’s gritty and uncompromising in politics, but doesn’t stretch too far in characterisation."

While Elysium is currently available to stream on Netflix in the United States, the film will disappear from the platform's catalog on April 1 due to licensing agreements.

After then, audiences will have to buy or rent Blomkamp's controverisal action movie on VOD platforms such as Apple TV or Amazon Prime. Prices currently sit at $3.99 for rentals and $5.99 for purchases on Prime.