John Cena’s New Action Streaming Hit Defeats Ben Affleck’s $80 Million ‘Accountant’ Sequel

For the first time in weeks, The Accountant 2 has been displaced from the top spot on the Prime Video streaming charts. The movie that did it was Heads of State, an action comedy starring John Cena, Idris Elba, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. It shot straight to the number one spot after debuting midweek on the streaming service, and appears to be holding its position. Heads of State features Cena as the President of the United States, who gets lost in Europe after an attack on Air Force One with only Elba’s British Prime Minister for company. The trouble is that they don’t exactly see eye to eye. This is where Chopra Jonas’ MI6 agent comes in.

According to FlixPatrol, Heads of State earned 505 points on its first day of release on Prime Video, and 510 points on its second. On both days, The Accountant 2 finished second on the charts. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, who previously made the inventive Hardcore Henry and the well-liked Nobody, Heads of State opened to moderately positive reviews. It holds a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Heads of State‘s lighthearted handling of geopolitics may be too cute by half, but the comedic alliance between Idris Elba and John Cena remains strong in this slick action flick.”

By comparison, the Ben Affleck-led The Accountant 2 holds a 77% score on the aggregator website. But its audience rating is far higher, at 92%. Unlike Heads of State, which debuted directly on Prime Video, The Accountant 2 was given a theatrical run first. It did rather well, grossing over $100 million worldwide against a reported budget of $80 million. The first film was released back in 2016, grossing over $150 million globally, against a reported budget of around $45 million. Affleck has mostly transitioned to the small screen in recent years, with his upcoming two projects — Animals and The RIP — both destined for streaming.

What Has the ‘Heads of State’ Cast Been Up To Lately?

Likewise, Cena’s last three movies have been streaming releases. Before Heads of State, he starred in the Prime Video comedies Ricky Stanicky, and Jackpot. He’s also set to star in the upcoming second season of Peacemaker. Elba headlined the Apple miniseries Hijack, and voiced Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Chopra Jonas co-starred alongside Richard Madden in Prime Video’s mega-budget misfire Citadel, whose future looks uncertain. You can watch Heads of State on Prime Video, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.