‘Rush Hour’ Movies Are Back on the Streaming Charts While the Fourth Film Sits in Traffic
Few pairings in Hollywood have aged as gracefully as the mismatched cops at the center of a certain buddy cop action comedy series. The Rush Hour movies star Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the leading roles, and they have been a comfort watch for fans for more than twenty years. The first film arrived on September 18, 1998 and grossed over $240 million worldwide.
The sequel doubled down on the formula. Released on August 3, 2001, it grossed over $340 million worldwide, and both of the first two films begin in Hong Kong and end in a United States airport. The follow up sends Inspector Lee and James Carter hunting for a mastermind after an explosion at the US Embassy in Hong Kong kills two customs agents.
Now both films are back in the spotlight. On the latest streaming Top 10 movies chart, ‘Rush Hour’ lands at number eight and ‘Rush Hour 2’ follows at number nine, with both appearing as new entries. They sit just ahead of ‘We’re the Millers’ at number ten, which makes for a very nostalgic bottom corner of the list.
The timing makes sense when you look at where the movies live. Both can be streamed on Paramount+, which gives casual viewers an easy way to revisit them. The first film holds a 62 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the site notes that the chemistry between its stars lets it land as both an action film and a comedy.
That renewed attention arrives while the fourth installment remains stuck in development. Paramount is reportedly set to distribute the project with Brett Ratner directing, and a budget of around $120 million has been floated. Filming was hoped to start this summer, but it has reportedly been pushed to September at the earliest.
Money has been the sticking point. Chan and Tucker reportedly passed on early offers of around $8 million each, far below the roughly $20 million they earned on the third film. TMZ pushed back on that report, saying it was being overblown, which leaves the real status of the negotiations a little murky.
Chan has been open about his eagerness to get moving, and he has joked that he and Tucker will be old men if the film takes much longer. Seeing the first two movies climb the charts could be exactly the kind of proof of demand that studios like to point to. With the original duo’s chemistry still pulling in viewers, would you rather see Chan and Tucker finally reunite for a fourth adventure, or are the first two movies the perfect place to leave Lee and Carter?
