Blaxploitation Remake ‘Superfly’ is a Streaming Hit on Tubi

Tubi audiences love a good action movie, and the 2018 crime thriller Superfly has recently surged in popularity, sitting at and around the top of the free streaming platform’s chart for the last couple of weeks. While it has currently slipped back into second place, behind another action movie, Michael Keaton’s Protégé, the continued presence of the movie around the top of the chart is just another example of how streaming channels are able to greatly help bring older movies to new audiences.

Superfly is a modern take on the 1972 blaxploitation movie Super Fly, and follows Youngblood Priest, a cocaine dealer in Atlanta who wants out of the business after almost being killed by a rival’s attack. Priest has to set up one final deal to do before he leaves his past behind, but it isn’t going to be easy with corrupt police officers and rival gangs in his path. Directed by Director X and starring Trevor Jackson as Priest, with the rest of the capable cast including Jason Mitchell, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Lex Scott.

However, the curse of the remake was certainly present when Superfly was released in cinemas six years ago. Trying to live up to the almost perfect reviews of the 1972 original was always going to be a tough ask, and it proved an insurmountable task as the remake holds just a 52% Tomatometer score. It also only made $20.8 million at the box office, and with a $16-$29 million budget, that was nothing short of a disappointment.

‘Superfly’ Delivered Action and Banging Soundtrack, but Failed in Other Areas

Superfly made some clever and stylish changes to the original film’s story, and, as several reviewers put it, “delivers great clothes, great cribs, and nicely choreographed fight sequences.” Its failure mostly stemmed from not dipping into the same kind of social commentary the original did, but updating it for modern times, although it did try and make up for it with a standout soundtrack, which was put together by producer and rapper Future.

One big complaint among reviews stemmed from the directing of Director X, whose past work on music videos seemed to limit the film’s ability to be anything more than just an extended hiphop video. Audiences didn’t quite have much of an issue with this, but the lack of emotional connection between the characters, the story, and the viewers was a big sticking point and essentially led to the film’s lackluster response on all fronts.

Thanks to Tubi, it seems that Superfly is getting some of the attention it so desperately needed six years ago, as it joins a growing list of mostly forgotten action movies that have been drawing in new audiences on free streaming platforms. While there is a constant churn of new content flowing through the likes of Tubi and Freevee, Superfly’s ability to hang onto a place in the top five for almost two weeks suggests that this could be a movie that deserves another look. So make sure you check it out while you can.