QUICK SUMMARY
Saltburn has at last been knocked off the top spot of movies on Amazon Prime Video. The new number 1 is a romcom starring Camila Mendes.
Who would have guessed that the early stages of 2024 would have been dominated by a movie released in 2023 and a song released in 2001? Well, that's exactly what has happened as Saltburn has been consistently the number one most popular movie on Amazon Prime Video since its release in December. As for the song? Well if you haven't heard Murder on the Dancefloor recently, where have you been?
Now however it looks like the Barry Keoghan-led movie's time at the top is over. Mainly thanks to Valentine's Day and the power of romcoms. The streaming service has a new most popular movie, the Amazon original Upgraded.
Starring Camila Mendes (AKA Veronica from Riverdale) this is a movie far less bold than the at times outrageous Saltburn. Still, as modern romcoms go it's definitely in the upper echelons. I maintain that the brilliantly savage Netflix movie Do Revenge is Mendes' best picture but go into Upgraded knowing what to expect and you'll have a fun enough time.
She plays Ana, an aspiring 'art intern' who despite struggling to pay the bills is treated to an upgrade on her flight to London. In first class, she of course meets a handsome British boy (Archie Renaux) who comes from old money, and of course, a classic misunderstanding spirals out of control.
Like I said, hardly revolutionary, but that's ok. There's plenty of warmth here and strong central and supporting performances, with the likes of Marisa Tomei and Derry Girls alumni Saoirse Monica-Jackson.
Old-fashioned romantic comedies do seem to be making something of a comeback of late. The success of the Sydney Sweeney starring Anyone But You and now Upgraded seems almost like a throwback to the 90s/early 00s and I'm all for it. Let's not forget the incredibly romantic Netflix adaptation of One Day either. It will interesting to see if this trend keeps up now Valentine's Day has passed.
If you're after something else on Prime Video then the streaming service is adding two superb movies on the 22nd of February, Lady Bird and a superb Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling collaboration.
