Mark Wahlberg’s 2007 action thriller movie Shooter is finding new success on streaming 18 years after its original run. The film has received mixed reviews and features a controversial ending.
Per FlixPatrol, Shooter is #8 on Paramount+’s Top 10 Movies in the United States for July 6. Other films charting on the streamer include Novocaine (#1), Top Gun: Maverick (#2), Zero Dark Thirty (#3), Extract (#4), The Patriot (#5), Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado (#6), Monster Summer (#7), Mud (#9) and Mean Girls (#10). Shooter stars Wahlberg as Force Recon Marine Scout Sniper veteran Bob Lee Swagger as he is framed for murder and works to clear his name.
Based on the 1993 novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter, Shooter focuses on Wahlberg’s retired sniper character caught up in an assassination attempt on the President of the United States, with him reluctantly going back into action and using his military training to locate the real enemies who are trying to frame him. The film’s plot sees Swagger double-crossed and fleeing for his life as he evades the authorities while trying to prove his innocence.
In addition to Wahlberg, Shooter starred Michael Peña, Danny Glover, Kate Mara, Levon Helm and Ned Beatty. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics in 2007, with the story being one of the most divisive elements. Deemed as entirely implausible and full of plot holes, many critics found Shooter lacking the depth and originality needed to set it apart from other thriller movies.
Shooter has a 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, but audiences appear to have enjoyed Wahlberg’s movie much more. From over 250,000 ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, Shooter’s audience approval rating is much higher at 80%.
Wahlberg Later Developed a Shooter TV Series
After an underwhelming box office run and negative response from critics, Shooter surprisingly managed to overcome the odds and find new life almost ten years later. In 2016, USA Network greenlit a series of the same name based on the movie. Wahlberg served as a producer for the Shooter show, with Ryan Phillippe starring as Swagger, the role Wahlberg originated.
The Shooter series had a better run than the film did, and it ran for three seasons and 31 episodes from 2016-2018. Like its theatrical predecessor, the series also drew a mixed reception from critics and was canceled after viewership numbers continued to decline as the years went on.
Mark Wahlberg’s Shooter is now streaming on Paramount+.
