Skydance’s IP-centric approach to film production has, according to critics, hit a nadir with the generic “Matchbox: The Movie.” Directed by celebrated stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, whose “Extraction” and “Extraction 2” are perfectly enjoyable, skillfully made action movies, this attempt to make a compelling film out a die-cast toy car brand devoid of lore never justifies its existence outside of being a feature-length commercial. If this is what we can expect from Skydance and Mattel Studios in the future, Paramount and Warner Bros. (which are both being run by David Ellison loyalists Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg) might not be long for this world.
“Matchbox: The Movie” currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 24%, and was released with very little fanfare to Apple TV on October 9, 2026. The film was greenlit after the blockbuster success of “Barbie,” with Mattel figuring that its line of toys, many of which have been popular for over 60 years, could also be made into movies that capitalize on their nostalgic value. Given the box office windfall Hasbro took in with the “Transformers” movies, this made financial sense. But they took a bath this year with Travis Knight’s well-received “Masters of the Universe” (which grossed $114 million worldwide against a $200 million budget), and “Matchbox: The Movie” has been relegated to streaming.
So Skydance and Mattel are keeping a close eye on the streaming numbers for “Matchbox: The Movie,” and, at present, they have to be pleased that the John Cena-led film is currently the top rated movie on Apple TV.
Matchbox: The Movie is zooming merrily along on Apple TV
Since, again, Matchbox cars were just toy cars that kids rolled around on the ground or flung down the stairs, Hargrave and screenwriter David Coggeshall had to invent a story that was somehow connected to this very basic brand. Their premise finds Cena returning home to reunite with his childhood friends (Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro, and Teyonah Parris) after one of their besties dies. While re-bonding over beers at a bar, they’re drugged. When they awake, they’re on a cargo plane where they learn that Cena is a spy, one who’s run afoul of CIA operative Corey Stoll. Fortunately, Cena is a one-man-army, which allows them to escape. At this point, they’re all caught up in some business involving a stolen nuclear warhead, so they join together to help Cena complete his mission.
This is boilerplate caper stuff, and while there are some inventive stunts and at least one great gag (which involves Castro botching the one-arm shotgun reload from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Stagecoach”), you’ve seen this movie many, many times before, and done so much better.
It’s unclear what the film’s Apple TV performance means for Mattel Studios’ plans to make a Barney film with Ayo Edebiri, and a Hot Wheels movie with Jon M. Chu, but for now they’ve at least eked out a minor win after the flopping of “Masters of the Universe.”
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