Netflix new number-one movie is a reboot of a much-loved franchise

Spy Kids: Armageddon has sailed past Love at First Sight to claim the title of Netflix global number one.

This is according to figures collated by Flixpatrol, which aggregates Netflix charts from across the world to work out a “heat” score.

Spy Kids: Armageddon is directed by Robert Rodriguez, who has helmed this series for more than 20 years. The original Sky Kids was released in 2001, its kid stars now very much grown up.

This is also the first Spy Kids film in more than 10 years, the last being 2011’s Spy: Kids All the Time in the World.

As such, it’s no surprise we’re looking at a whole new cast here. Our adults stars are Shazam actor Zachary Levi and Gina Rodriguez — no relation to director Robert Rodriguez — while the kids are played by Everly Carganilla and Connor Esterson.

A computer virus threatens to take down civilisation as we know it. And it’s up to the Spy Kids to sort everything out. Director Robert Rodriguez co-wrote the film with his son, Racer Max Rodriguez, who is also listed as one of the writers of 2005's The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

The Spy Kids series of movies hasn’t had a true critical hit since 2002’s Spy Kids 2. But, as it stands at the time of writing, Spy Kids: Armageddon might be the most warmly received instalment since then.

It currently has a higher Rotten Tomatoes rating, 47%, than the last two films. And a much higher audience approval score, of 68%.

Still, it’s early days for Spy Kids: Armageddon, which was released on September 22. There was no cinematic release for this one. It’s a Netflix exclusive. This is the first film in the series not to get a cinema release.

It’s not the first Netflix Spy Kids property, though. As fans of the series will know, Netflix has been the home to animated show, Spy Kids: Mission Critical. Two seasons were made, both first streamed in 2018.

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