New Horror Movie Beats Tom Cruise’s $1.5B Sequel in Streaming Battle

A new horror film has emerged at the top of the movie charts on a popular streaming platform, beating Tom Cruise’s $1.5 billion sequel. The horror movie originally premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 18, 2025, before releasing in US theaters on January 9, 2026. It debuted on Paramount+ on March 25, 2026.

Primate tops Paramount+ movie charts

Primate tops the Paramount+ movie charts as of April 26, 2026, according to FlixPatrol. Meanwhile, Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick occupies the second spot. The other eight entries on the list are 2025’s The Running Man, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Roofman, The Ledge, Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie, An Unfinished Life, Crawl, and Due Justice.

Notably, the data from FlixPatrol isn’t complete. However, it does give a broader picture.

Set in Hawaii, Primate revolves around an adopted chimpanzee who becomes violent after a mongoose bite. Johannes Roberts directed the movie from a script he penned with Ernest Riera. The cast includes Johnny Sequoyah as Lucy Pinborough; Jessica Alexander as Hannah; Troy Kotsur as Adam Pinborough; Victoria Wyant as Kate; and Miguel Torres Umba as Ben, the chimpanzee.

Following its release, the movie grossed $39 million worldwide (Box Office Mojo). It currently has an 78% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 201 reviews. William Bibbiani
of TheWrap wrote in a review, “You could pick nits with Primate, and I guess that would be thematically appropriate, but the film’s tight runtime and uncomplicated, visceral storytelling don’t give the mind any opportunity to wander.”

Additionally, Top Gun: Maverick debuted in US theaters in May 2022 and serves as a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. Cruise reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, as does Val Kilmer as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky. The cast also includes Miles Teller as Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Jennifer Connelly as Penelope “Penny” Benjamin, and Glen Powell as LT Jake “Hangman” Seresin. Joseph Kosinski directed the feature from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie made $1.5 billion worldwide.

Source: Comingsoon.net