Well, that didn't take long. Ryan Reynolds' new action movie Mayday hit Apple TV+ this week, and one day after release it's already being reported as a global streaming hit, per MSN's coverage of the film's fast start.

I won't spoil the plot here, mostly because part of the fun of a movie like this is walking in knowing as little as possible. What I'll say is it plays to everything Reynolds does well: the timing, the genuine menace he can flick on when a script lets him, action scenes that (hopefully) shoot clearly enough that you can actually follow them. Revolutionary concept, I know.

The man's natural speed is about triple whatever the scene around him is doing, which is why I've always thought he's at his best when the material keeps pace with him instead of slowing down to explain itself. A brisk action movie that knows when to leave is basically a public service in a year where everything feels like it needs an extra forty minutes of brooding to justify existing.

The global numbers back that up too. Getting called a streaming hit one single day after release means people didn't stumble onto this one, they went looking for it. That doesn't always happen. Plenty of movies get a round of applause somewhere on a Thursday and then a shrug from everybody else on Friday.

What's interesting to me is the pattern this might fit into. I've been saying all summer that the theatrical experience was quietly rebuilding itself, one crowded Friday night at a time, and maybe streaming is having its own little moment of quality over quantity. Or maybe that's just the September optimism talking. Either way, a movie people actually seek out on day one is a good sign for those of us who like watching things.

Is Mayday a masterpiece? I'll let you know once I've watched it a second time, which is my personal test for any movie that gets this much early love. But you can't fake being a global hit in one day. That kind of momentum either shows up or it doesn't.

If you've got Apple TV+, queue it up tonight. And if you've already seen it I genuinely want to know whether it held up for you, because my watchlist this month is a crime scene and I'm triaging.