Before they dropped on Netflix, the three Maze Runner films earned $949 million at the box office. Wes Ball’s well-received adaptation of James Dashner’s novels emerged in the YA boom that seized theaters after The Hunger Games broke box office records. Divergent, Beautiful Creatures, The Host, and dozens of other similar works rose and fell. While none of them challenged Suzanne Collins’ dystopian juggernaut, the Maze Runner trilogy claimed an impressive take with considerably lower budgets. Today, all three films sit confidently on Netflix’s international top ten.
The Maze Runner Trilogy Finds Its Way to the Top on Netflix
The Maze Runner is one of the better offerings among the YA novel movie boom. It follows Thomas, a new arrival in a society of boys struggling to survive a complex maze network. Like most of its stablemates, Maze Runner starts with several teens navigating a dangerous situation while speaking mostly in spooky proper nouns. Designated Runners must leave the Glade to navigate its maze, avoiding the brutal Grievers that pursue them. As the trilogy goes on, Thomas and the Gladers discover the truth behind their imprisonment and fight for their freedom. Those of us who’ve seen it will tell you it stands out, but getting people to see it is challenging. It blended into the YA boom upon initial release, but The Maze Runner found a new audience on Netflix. All three films suffered diminishing returns at the box office, but Netflix has been kinder.
The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure occupy the fourth, sixth, and seventh positions on Netflix’s worldwide charts. All three films enjoy support from all over the world. The Maze Runner franchise generally earned more from worldwide audiences than from its US theatrical runs. The trilogy earned less money with each entry. Critics also offered reduced approval for the sequels. The Maze Runner leads the pack with a 65% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Scorch Trials earned 47%, while Death Cure got 43%. Among young adult novel adaptations, The Maze Runner is the fifth-highest-grossing franchise. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and even Divergent beat it financially. I’d argue it deserves better than at least one of those franchises, but a booming market is rarely a meritocracy. It remains impressive, especially considering the trilogy’s budget comprises only a fourth of The Hunger Games‘.
The Maze Runner trilogy lasts 387 minutes in total. If you wanted to binge the franchise, it would only take half an hour longer than all of Marvel’s WandaVision. The Hunger Games is a little over 700 minutes long, counting the recent prequel. The Maze Runner films aren’t available on Netflix in the United States, but audiences all over the world are enjoying each entry. International viewers can get caught in that maze and live a high point of the YA boom all over again.
