•John Cena, who has built an unusually varied film career bouncing between raunchy comedies, superhero blockbusters, and family adventures—playing a hard-partying dad in The Vacation Friends, a mermaid in Barbie, and the unhinged Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad before taking the character to HBO—is now leading a new film based on a childhood favorite that has raced to the top of streaming charts.
Matchbox: The Movie debuted on Apple TV on Oct. 9 and opened strongly, claiming the No. 1 spot on Apple TV’s U.S. movie chart over its opening weekend, according to FlixPatrol’s streaming rankings. That success suggests there remains an audience for big-budget nostalgia plays.
Inspired by Mattel’s classic Matchbox toy cars, the action-adventure film follows Sean, played by Cena, an undercover CIA agent who returns to his hometown and reconnects with childhood friends. Their reunion takes a dangerous turn when the group becomes caught up in an international conspiracy, forcing them into a globe-trotting mission to save the world.
Directed by Sam Hargrave (Extraction 2), the film delivers high-speed car chases and spy-movie spectacle. Jessica Biel co-stars as Aimee, alongside Sam Richardson (Veep), Teyonah Parris (The Marvels), Arturo Castro (Broad City), and Danai Gurira (Black Panther).
The film represents another attempt to turn a familiar Mattel property into a major entertainment franchise following the success of Barbie. But while that movie became a cultural phenomenon, Matchbox has drawn a cooler response from critics.
Early reviews have been largely negative. Variety criticized the film for feeling like a placeholder between Fast & Furious installments, arguing that its action overwhelms its attempts at emotional storytelling. The Wrap was more forgiving of the ensemble, describing the movie as a genial time-waster while also taking aim at its toy-commercial sensibilities.
The film holds just a 25% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
That negative reception has not stopped Matchbox from finding an audience in its first few days on Apple TV. For fans of high-octane car chases, globetrotting spy adventures, and childhood nostalgia, the film may still be worth a watch despite its rough critical reception.
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