Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Wahlberg’s first movie project is officially dominating another streaming platform, a year after its initial debut on Prime Video. Downey Jr. gained worldwide recognition for his iconic performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, he’s preparing to return to the MCU with the December 18 release of Avengers: Doomsday, where he’ll take on the mantle of Doctor Doom.
Besides acting, Downey Jr. also ventures into executive producing through his production banner, Team Downey. He has produced several movies and shows that he has also starred in, including the 2014 comedy The Judge and HBO’s 2024 miniseries The Sympathizer. During his hiatus from the MCU, he also produced the 2025 action-comedy film Play Dirty,originally released on Prime Video. Now, the Mark Wahlberg-led movie is drawing renewed interest from audiences worldwide after its HBO Max debut.
Downey Jr. & Wahlberg’s Play Dirty Is Taking Over A New Platform
As of now, Play Dirty has officially claimed the fifth spot on HBO Max’s top ten global chart, beating strong contenders such as Supergirl, Se7en, and Zodiac. The 2025 thriller has become a streaming sensation in more than ten countries, including Hungary, Albania, Moldova, Poland, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, where it’s currently placed at number one. During its initial release on Prime Video, the heist thriller also had a strong run, drawing around 57 million viewers worldwide in its first 28 days.
Shane Black directed the film, best known for action films like Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero, and The Predator. The filmmaker has also worked with Downey Jr. on two movies: Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Play Dirty features Wahlberg as Parker, a ruthless thief who leads a crew of misfits on a dangerous heist against a crime syndicate to steal $1 billion’s worth of treasure.
The Heist Thriller Was The Latest To Adapt The Classic Novel Franchise
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Play Dirty is based on the classic Parker novel series, written by Donald E. Westlake under the pen name Richard Stark. The iconic crime books have been adapted for the big screen multiple times. Before Wahlberg, Lee Marvin played the lead in 1967’s Point Blank, Robert Duvall in 1973’s The Outfit, Mel Gibson in 1999’s Payback, and Jason Statham in 2013’s Parker. Downey Jr. was originally attached to star in Play Dirty, but had to give up the lead role to Wahlberg because of scheduling conflicts.
Beside Wahlberg, Play Dirty starred LaKeith Stanfield, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Thomas James, Tony Shalhoub, and Gretchen Mol. It also featured a surprising Mark Cuban cameo, in which the Shark Tank billionaire is killed off by Wahlberg’s character. Despite its streaming success, the 2025 movie received mixed reviews from critics and audiences at release.
- Release Date
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October 1, 2025
- Runtime
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125 Minutes
- Director
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Shane Black
- Writers
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Donald E. Westlake, Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi, Charles Mondry
- Producers
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Jules Daly, Marc Toberoff, Susan Downey
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