Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland’s $94 million box office disappointment, “In the Heart of the Sea,” has become a global Netflix hit 10 years after its release. The movie, directed by Ron Howard, follows the true story of the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, an event that inspired Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick.” The cast includes Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson.
The film was released in 2015 and received mixed reviews, with some praising its thoughtful storytelling and striking visuals, while others found it lacking depth and epic grandeur. The movie bombed at the box office, grossing only $94.3 million against its $100 million budget.
However, a decade later, “In the Heart of the Sea” has become a global Netflix hit, ranking 10th on the platform’s Global Top 10 movies with 3.7 million views. The film’s success as a streaming hit has brought renewed attention to the movie, even if it still falls short of the depth and grandeur that some critics expected.
The Netflix success of “In the Heart of the Sea” offers a small measure of redemption for the movie’s box-office failure, but it also serves as a reminder of its underwhelming theatrical run. Nevertheless, the film’s legacy is now likely a cult favorite or a cautionary tale.
Both Hemsworth and Holland are best known for their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in several Marvel movies together, including “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” However, they have also appeared in several movies outside the MCU, with Hemsworth starring in the Netflix action franchise “Extraction” and Holland appearing in the Netflix film “The Devil All the Time” and other direct-to-streaming titles.