Zombieland’s Streaming Resurgence 16 Years Later

Zombieland is making a comeback on streaming. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, with a script written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the 2009 comedy follows four survivors of a zombie apocalypse – Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) – as they embark on cross-country road trip in search of a safe haven untouched by the undead.

Its star-studded cast includes two-time Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, A Real Pain), two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone (La La Land, Poor Things), three-time Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt, The Messenger, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), and Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). Also starring are Amber Heard and Bill Murray as himself.

Now, 16 years after its release, Zombieland ranks third on Peacock’s Top 10 movies in the United States for today, September 24, where it has been for the past two days. It ranks below Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Mummy, and above Miss Congeniality, 21 Jump Street, Home, 2012, Brightburn, Abigail, and Django Unchained.

What Zombieland’s Streaming Success Means For The Movie

Zombieland was a huge hit at the time of its release in 2009, and to this day, it remains a classic zombie movie. Touting an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Zombieland reviews praised the film for its dark comedy and copious amounts of gore, which, at the time, provided proof that the zombie genre still had plenty of life left in it.

Boasting an 86% audience score, Zombieland made just over $100 million at the box office against its mid-sized $23.6 million budget, becoming the 10th highest-grossing zombie movie in the United States until World War Z was released in 2013. Zombieland also built on its box office success by bringing in an additional $54 million in home media sales.

Our Take On Zombieland’s Streaming Success

While Zombieland is a classic comedy that is endlessly rewatchable, you can probably skip the belated sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap, which was released a decade later in 2019. It’s not currently available on Peacock or any other streaming service, so it’s not quite as accessible as the original movie.

If you want more of the exact same, perhaps the sequel is for you, but Double Tap fails to do what all great sequels do, which is to evolve in some meaningful way. The sequel simply trots out many of the same sick punchlines without adding anything new to the original Zombieland.

Release Date

October 2, 2009

Runtime

88 minutes

Director

Ruben Fleischer