Denzel Washington’s ‘Man on Fire’ Replacement Just Hit 50 Days Atop Streaming Charts

Denzel Washington’s newest movie, which has drawn comparisons to one of his classics, has passed an important milestone on streaming charts. Washington stars alongside Jeffrey Wright and ASAP Rocky in Highest 2 Lowest, the remake of the Akira Kurosawa crime thriller, High and Low, which follows a music industry titan forced to make a tough decision when the child of one of his closest confidants is kidnapped. Highest 2 Lowest premiered on Apple TV at the start of September, and the film has now been either #1 or #2 on global streaming charts for more than 50 days.

Fans have been comparing Highest 2 Lowest to Washington’s beloved 2004 crime thriller, Man on Fire, for a few reasons. First and foremost is the fact that kidnapping is the central element of both movies, even when it doesn’t always seem so in Man on Fire. Washington’s John Creasy thinks he’s going on a revenge mission to avenge little Lupita Ramos (Dakota Fanning), but it’s revealed near the end of the film that she’s alive. While Washington’s David King never believes Kyle is dead in Highest 2 Lowest, it does seem likely at any moment that he could be killed while in captivity.

Highest 2 Lowest was a hit with critics when early screenings first began over the summer, which led to it earning a Certified Fresh 84% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences followed in critics’ footsteps down this path, and the film also sits at an 84% on the Popcornmeter. The film earned just over $1 million in America during an extremely limited box office run, and it was directed by frequent Washington collaborator Spike Lee.

When Does Denzel Washington’s Next Movie Come Out?

Denzel Washington does not currently have another movie with a firm release date on the schedule, but he is currently attached to star in a film that could be the highest-grossing movie of his career. Washington has confirmed that Ryan Coogler is writing a role for him in the third Black Panther movie in the works at Marvel, which will likely be released in 2027 or 2028. Black Panther veteran Angela Bassett shared over the summer that she would like to see Washington play the villain in the film. Washington will also star alongside Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones in Here Comes the Flood, a heist thriller that’s currently in production.

Be sure to watch Highest 2 Lowest exclusively on Apple TV and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.

Release Date

August 15, 2025

Runtime

133 minutes

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