A Ryan Reynolds‘ movie that the star himself labelled a ‘disaster’ for years has stormed up the Netflix charts despite it being over a decade since its release.

This inexplicable swell in viewers also comes as the build-up to Christmas intensifies, with movies such as The Holiday, Family Switch and various iterations of The Grinch also dominating the list.

The actor who has enjoyed subsequent success with two Deadpool movies, and one more in the works, has consistently derided this 2011 project, which also features his now-wife Blake Lively, ever since its release.

He seems to be in the right, irrespective of the new-found success, as the movie has a dismal 25 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes, albeit with a less embarrassing 45 per cent rating from users rather than critics.

A movie which Ryan Reynolds has consistently derided as a ‘disaster’ since he played its lead in 2011 has inexplicably soared to eighth in the UK’s most popular movies on Netflix

Reynolds is joined in the Marvel flop by his now-wife Blake Lively. Pictured: the pair at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards

British viewers are taking a bizarre liking to Green Lantern 12 years after its debut, despite its poor critical reception

But British viewers 12 years later are taking a bizarre liking to Green Lantern, as it has soared to eighth in the country’s Netflix top 10 from December 4 to December 10, having trended in the top five for individual days that week.

Directed by Martin Campbell, the film stars Reynolds as the DC superhero, but went on to become one of the biggest flops in box office history, grossing just $219 million (£182m) from a $200m (£166m) budget, on top of its scathing reviews.

Reynolds plays the first human to join the Green Lantern Corps but all of a sudden becomes the units only hope of defeating a new enemy called Parallax.

Since the release, the lead has repeatedly acknowledged the film was a disaster, and he most recently admitted that this ‘was the only way to kind of process it,’ as he addressed the Just For Laughs comedy festival in London in March.

He told Rob Delaney, and the O2 crowd: ‘There was just too many people spending too much money and when there was a problem rather than say, “OK, let’s stop spending on special effects and let’s think about character.”‘

‘The thinking was never there to do that, and to their credit, it’s a very old school way of looking at things. It’s just “Let’s just keep spending our way through this.” And that was… it didn’t work.

‘At the same time, there are 185 people that worked on that movie – they all had an amazing time, we loved shooting it. Truly, shooting the movie was a lot of fun. But, you know, sitting in that premiere, watching that… oh my God, it’s tough.

‘The words were “holy s***” and “no, no!”

‘It was crazy. It was an odd feeling. It was not a feeling I wanted to repeat. So I really spent the following years just owning as much as I could, it was the only way to kind of process it.’

And Reynolds is not the only star of Green Lantern to react in such a way in the years following its release.

In 2014, Taika Waititi told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Being part of it and reading the script and seeing how it all came together, I wasn’t really surprised with how it was received.

‘A classic example was when we were blocking a scene and I said: “I have one line and it’s not really necessary to the story and it doesn’t further the scene, just a suggestion but maybe I shouldn’t be in this scene?”

‘They were like: “Shut up Taika, just say your line and do the scene,” and I said okay, and just sat there literally doing nothing and wondering, “what the f*** am I doing in this movie?”‘

Reynolds is not the only star of Green Lantern to react in such a way in the years following its release. In 2014, Taika Waititi (left) said: ‘I wasn’t really surprised with how it was received’

Both Waititi and Reynolds joked together about their part in the movie in 2020 as they reunited in Free Guy.

‘I’ve never met him,’ Reynolds responded when asked by Total Film Magazine about reuniting on screen with the New Zealander.

‘What’s the project you’re talking about? I’ve never heard of it… Green… what?’ he deadpanned.

Reynolds’ slamming of the score even extends to cameos in his other projects.

Part-way through the end credits of Deadpool 2 (2018), Reynolds is seen holding a wad of paper, and says: ‘Goddamn that’s beautiful.’

It is then revealed that he is holding the Green Lantern script, before the more successful Reynolds superhero shoots his likeness and proclaims: ‘You’re welcome Canada.’

This is taken to mean that Reynolds is implying that he brought shame upon his whole nation for starring in the Hollywood bomb as a Canadian lead.

Some of those who watched the film, inspired by it racing up the charts, were also surprised to see it there

So, it seems safe to say they would probably be surprised by its British renaissance, and so were many of those who watched it.

One took to X to say: ‘Just got home from work and saw that Green Lantern is No7 on UK Netflix today with @VancityReynolds [Ryan Reynolds]… diving in again even if it is a bit pants!’

Others added: ‘Hey @VancityReynolds could it be a Christmas miracle? Green Lantern is no.4 on Netflix top 10 films in the UK. Can it get to no.1?…

‘Yoo @VancityReynolds Green Lantern trending at No.4 on UK Netflix…it’s not such a bad film!’

It could not quite reach number one on the charts, but perhaps distance has made the heart go, if only a little, fonder when it comes to movie fans’ perception of Reynolds’ big career regret.