A star-studded cast and impressive production budget are never guarantees of success. If one man knows this more than many, it's Adam Sandler, whose vast back catalog of high-profile productions includes many that failed to live up to both financial and critical expectations. One such example is 2015's Pixels, a chaotic comedy following an alien invasion of Earth after they misinterpret footage of classic video games as a declaration of war.
Joining Sandler in the impressive cast for Pixels are Peter Dinklage, Kevin James, Josh Gad, and Michelle Monaghan, as well as a cameo from tennis great Serena Williams. But this star-studded lineup proved ultimately useless when trying to craft Pixels a positive reaction. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Pixels achieved a dismal 18% critics' score, with a 46% audience rating offering at least a glimmer of hope, albeit because of the many other entries in Sandler's filmography with lower comparative ratings.
However, out of the video game-inspired darkness has finally come some light, even if it has taken ten years to achieve it. As of May 28, 2025, Pixels can boast some success with audiences, specifically those with a Peacock subscription, as the film has officially landed inside the streamer's top 10 most-streamed movies. Entering the list at #9, Pixels outperformed tenth-placed Last Breath, the recent disaster thriller starring Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu. Elsewhere on the list, Keanu Reeves' John Wick: Chapter 4 is a hit ahead of Ballerina, the first franchise spin-off led by Ana de Armas; another pair of Sandler outings, Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2, are proving popular, and topping the chart is Ke Huy Quan's 2025 release, Love Hurts.
How Did 'Pixels' Perform at the Box Office?
Pixels was an unquestionable disaster when it came to its critical and audience reception, but how did it fare at the box office? The simple answer is: better, with Pixels managing to just about cross the all-important target of doubling investment and therefore shrugging off any suggestion it could be a total failure. From a reported production budget of $90 million, Pixels returned $244 million worldwide, split between a domestic haul of $78.7 million and $165.2 million from overseas markets. Add this to home market sales just shy of $20 million, and Pixels is a small success against a backdrop of theatrical flops with similar critical ratings. In 2015, Pixels was the 31st highest-grossing movie globally, outperforming the likes of Everest, Ted 2, and Creed.
Pixels is available to stream on Peacock. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Pixels PG-13 Comedy Sci-Fi 5.0/10 Release Date July 24, 2015 Runtime 106minutes Director Chris Columbus Cast See All Kevin James Brian Cox Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
Writers Tim Herlihy, Timothy Dowling Powered by Expand Collapse