Jack Black’s 97-Minute Stone Age Comedy Bomb Finds Holy Vengeance as No. 1 Streaming Hit

Some movies flop in theaters and quietly fade away. Others get a second shot at glory years later. Jack Black‘s Year One is the latest film to pull off a surprise comeback, as the 2009 caveman comedy has climbed all the way to the top of Sony Pictures Core‘s streaming chart in the U.S.

Directed by the late Harold Ramis, the comedy legend behind Groundhog Day and Caddyshack, Year One drops two clueless hunter-gatherers into a wild biblical version of ancient history. Black plays Zed, a cocky but hopeless hunter who is convinced he is destined for greatness. Michael Cera plays Oh, his nervous, soft-spoken best friend.

After Zed eats the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, the two get kicked out of their tribe. What follows is a bizarre road trip through Bible stories, where they bump into Cain and Abel, a very intense Abraham, and eventually the city of Sodom. Along the way, they try to rescue the women they love.

Black is in full goofball mode here, all swagger and zero brains, and his chemistry with Cera’s dry and awkward humor is the main reason fans keep coming back.

Jack Black’s Year One Is No. 1 on Sony Pictures Core in the U.S.

Year One is officially having its moment. According to FlixPatrol, the film ranked No. 1 on Sony Pictures Core in the U.S. on October 13, 2026. It climbed one spot from the previous day and has now spent a full week in the top 10, beating titles like Resident Evil: Extinction, Men in Black: International, and A Knight’s Tale.

That is quite the turnaround for a movie that was once written off as a disaster. When Year One hit theaters in June 2009, it seemed like a sure thing. It had Harold Ramis directing, Judd Apatow producing, and two of the hottest comedy stars of the time leading the way. Instead, it crashed hard.

Critics tore it apart, leaving it with a dismal 14% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of October 13, 2026). Many reviewers felt the crude and juvenile jokes did not land, and plenty compared it unfavorably to Ramis’s classics. Timing did not help either. The film arrived in a packed summer for comedy, going up against The Proposal on its opening weekend while The Hangover was still dominating the conversation.

Jack Black in a still from Year One | Credits: Sony Pictures Releasing

Year One opened to around $19.6 million, but bad word of mouth spread quickly, and ticket sales dropped by nearly 70% the following weekend (via Box Office Mojo). It ended its run with about $62.3 million worldwide against a $60 million budget.

Once marketing costs are factored in, it was a clear money-loser for Sony. Sadly, it also turned out to be the final film Ramis directed before his death in 2014. So, why is it suddenly thriving on streaming?

A big reason is Jack Black himself. The actor is enjoying a huge career high, thanks to hits like A Minecraft Movie, and a whole new generation of fans is digging through his older work. Streaming also changes how people watch comedies. Without the pressure of a ticket price, viewers are more willing to give a silly, low-stakes movie a chance.

Many fans also see Year One as a fun time capsule of late-2000s comedy. It is not a masterpiece, but at just 97 minutes, it is an easy watch packed with familiar faces. Sometimes, that is all a movie needs to find its audience.

What are your thoughts on this Jack Black comedy? Let us know in the comments below!