Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon makes a Netflix top 10 comeback after a mixed reception

Two years later, Zack Snyder’s controversial two-part Rebel Moon movies are once again “taking the world by storm,” appearing on Netflix’s Top 10 charts in several countries as of June 2026.

The Streaming Comeback: From Flop to Phenomenon

Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire was released on Netflix in December 2023, followed by Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver in April 2024. The films received a “negative response from critics and audiences alike” upon their release, making a sequel seem unlikely. However, in June 2026, it was reported by Collider that both movies are now in Netflix’s Top 10 list for multiple nations around the world.

The straight-to-streaming decision was controversial given the $166 million budget and Star Wars-like scale of the epic films. Snyder originally pitched the concept for the movie a decade earlier as a Star Wars film, but when that plan didn’t materialize, he developed his own lore with producer Deborah Snyder.

The Split Versions of Rebel Moon: PG-13 vs. Director’s Cut

Both Rebel Moon films were released by Snyder in two versions: a PG-13 cut intended for all ages, and an R-rated “Director’s Cut” geared towards adults. Snyder stated in an interview with Vanity Fair: “The first version of Rebel Moon will be released to the public as an all-family adventure story, while the Director’s Cut is exclusive to adults”.

The director’s cuts divided opinion among critics. Collider described them as lacking “anything remotely deep or well-designed action,” but Polygon called Chalice of Blood an “improvement” over the first movie.

Is There More Rebel Moon? Snyder Puts Things on Hold

Despite the increased viewing numbers on streaming, Snyder has announced that the franchise is taking a hiatus. He revealed in an interview with Variety in July 2025: “I’m actually making a LAPD SWAT film over at Netflix at the moment, and I’m going to let that’ Rebel Moon ‘ world sit for a bit’. I lost some focus… It was a really exhausting and long process creating those two movies concurrently, so it was good to take a short break from it”.

A new Rebel Moon video game, Blood Line, was released on Netflix for subscribers in July 2025. Meanwhile, Forbes reported in August 2024 that Netflix had quietly canceled an Army of the Dead sequel, an animated spin-off, Twilight of the Gods Season 2, and Snyder’s untitled LAPD SWAT film. However, Snyder’s interview in July 2025 suggests that the SWAT project is still underway.

Snyder’s Post-DC Journey on Netflix

After helming 300, Man of Steel, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder’s involvement with DC concluded with the 2020 release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. James Gunn is now in charge of the DCEU, and recently introduced a new Superman starring David Corenswet in place of Henry Cavill.

Snyder partnered with Netflix for the first time with Army of the Dead in 2021. He told THR: “This is something I grew up loving, watching the films of Kurosawa, the films of Star Wars…. My hope is that we are building up a huge IP and a universe”.