H5game8

Rebecca Ferguson’s Sci-Fi 'Alien' Dupe Finds New Streaming Home After ‘Mercy’ Disaster

Rebecca Ferguson in zero gravity beside electronic panels in Life.Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

By Rahul Malhotra Published Jan 30, 2026, 8:00 PM EST Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

In recent years, star Rebecca Ferguson has established herself as an icon in the sci-fi genre, with memorable roles in Denis Villeneuve's Dune trilogy and the Apple TV series Silo. However, her reputation took a hit recently with the critical and commercial failure of the movie Mercy, in which she plays an AI judge. Mercy, also starring Chris Pratt, earned poor reviews and underperformed at the box office. But Ferguson's fans can cleanse their palates by revisiting one of her underrated sci-fi movies, Life. Also featuring Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Shōgun star Hiroyuki Sanada, the movie underperformed at the box office and received criticism for being derivative of Ridley Scott's Alien. However, it found an audience on home video, and will attempt to expand its cult when it lands on the Peacock streaming service in February.

Directed by Daniel Espinosa, Life followed a spaceship crew forced to contend with an alien presence. The movie grossed $100 million at the global box office against a reported budget of around $60 million. By one rule of thumb, a film of its kind would need to gross twice its reported budget in order to break even theatrically. Life probably fell short of the mark but has recouped this shortfall in its home video journey. The movie earned mixed reviews, and is now sitting at a 67% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "Life is just thrilling, well-acted, and capably filmed enough to overcome an overall inability to add new wrinkles to the trapped-in-space genre."

Rebecca Ferguson Has Two Major Projects Lined Up

Ferguson went on to play Lady Jessica in Dune and its sequel, Dune: Part Two. She will return in Dune: Part Three, and the third season of Silo later this year. Gyllenhaal is set to star in M. Night Shyamalan's supernatural romance film Remain, also slated for release this year. Sanada will return in the sophomore season of Shōgun. Reynolds, on the other hand, was coming off the blockbuster success of Deadpool when Life debuted in theaters. It marked a reunion between Reynolds and his Deadpool writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

Subscribe to the newsletter for more sci‑fi film insights

Get deeper context by subscribing to the newsletter: authoritative coverage of sci‑fi releases, streaming availability, box office takeaways, and cast project tracking — ideal for readers who want fuller film and genre analysis. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

You can watch the sci-fi thriller on Peacock in February. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Life

Like Follow Followed R Sci-Fi Thriller Horror Release Date March 24, 2017 Runtime 104 Minutes Director Daniel Espinosa Writers Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese

Cast

See All

Ryan Reynolds
Alexandre Nguyen

Expand Collapse

Movie News
Life
Rebecca Ferguson

Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close

What To Watch

Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) posing in KPop Demon Hunters.

July 20, 2025 The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Trending Now 1:50 BoJack sits by a pool in a bathrobe holding a beer with the Hollywood sign behind in BoJack Horseman.