Jason Statham’s Remake of a 70s Action Cult Classic Makes a Streaming Comeback

Jason Statham’s forgotten remake of a 1970s action cult classic is making an unexpected (but well-deserved) comeback on digital streaming. Jason Statham’s action career has seen a big resurgence over the past few years. Following the success of The Beekeeper (directed by David Ayer), more of Statham’s action movies have been hitting theaters and dominating on streaming. A Working Man is a frequent success on Prime Video, while Shelter is continuously one of the biggest movies on Starz. This resurgence has even resulted in Statham re-teaming with Guy Ritchie for the upcoming Layer Cake (novel) sequel, Viva La Madness. That success has also led to one of Statham’s older and severely underrated action thrillers climbing back into the charts. It might have flopped back in 2008. But in 2026, it’s a cult classic in its own right.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (best known for churning out too many Resident Evil movies), Jason Statham’s Death Race has been revived on digital streaming. The film has been available on all major digital streaming stores for years. But for no clear reason, Death Race has raced its way up the Apple Store charts. At the time of writing, Death Race is the third most popular movie on the digital streaming platform this week. The Invite holds the top spot. But third place means Death Race has overtaken Michael, Obsession, Disclosure Day, Backrooms, and Supergirl, which were only added to digital streaming recently.

As the title suggests, Death Race stars Jason Statham as a man who participates in races to the death. To be honest, that’s about the only synopsis you really need to enjoy the film. Anderson’s movie is based on the 1975 cult classic, Death Race 2000, which starred David Carradine, Sylvester Stallone, Simone Griffeth, and Paul Bartel (who directed the movie). Statham plays Jensen Ames, a convicted killer who is offered the chance to win his freedom by competing in the Death Race, a televised racing competition with fatal consequences for the losers. The remake also starred Natalie Martinez, Joan Allen, Ian McShane, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Clarke, Robin Shou, and Max Ryan.

‘Death Race’ Couldn’t Survive the Race in 2008

Despite now being considered a late-night cult classic, Jason Statham’s Death Race was slated by critics and underperformed at the box office back in 2008. Made on a budget of $45 million, it grossed $76 million worldwide, making it a financial disappointment for Universal Pictures. That weak box office performance was likely the result of contentious critics’ reviews and mixed word of mouth from audiences. Death Race holds a 41% Rotten Tomatoes score, with a stronger (but still unimpressive) 60% audience score.

‘Death Race’ Has Two Far Worse Sequels

If you’re one of the people who hated Death Race when it came out (or, after you purchased it on the Apple Store, as many people now have), then you’ll definitely want to skip its sequels. Death Race is actually part of a trilogy, but you’d be forgiven for not knowing about the follow-up movies. 2010’s Death Race 2 was led by Luke Goss as Carl Lucas, who also finds himself participating in the eponymous Death Race. Somehow, Sean Bean was convinced to co-star in the 17%-rated stinker. Three years later, Luke Goss (but not Sean Bean) returned for Death Race 3: Inferno. Unsurprisingly, it skipped theaters altogether and was released direct-to-video. Failing that, just check out the original Death Race franchise instead.