Chris Hemsworth & Tom Holland's $94M Adventure Movie Is Quickly Climbing Netflix's Charts 10 Years Later

Chris Hemsworthand Tom Hollandare two of Hollywood's biggest stars and have become main players in the money-making juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hemsworth was the first to make his way to the Marvel family, playing the mythical hero Thor in 2011, and then as a member of the Avengers. Holland followed in 2016, debuting as the MCU's Peter Parker in the blockbuster Captain America: Civil War, and later joining Hemsworth in the massive era-wrapping Infinity War and Endgame two-parter.

With $31.1 billion (and counting) in worldwide grosses, the MCU has been a runaway success, catapulting Hemsworth and Holland to international stardom. Although both actors have taken a break from their MCU responsibilities, they have experimented with different roles in recent years. Hemsworth became an action star in Netflix's Extraction franchise, with a third film in development. Holland's career has been more low-key, but one of his more exciting movies will be The Odyssey, directed by Oscar-winner Christopher Nolan. However, before the MCU, both actors previously collaborated on a forgotten adventure that is now making rounds on Netflix.

Hemsworth & Holland’s In The Heart Of The Sea Is Sailing Up The Netflix Charts

Carry-On Kept It Out Of The Top Spot

A year before the pair first shared the screen as Thor and Peter Parker in Civil War, Ron Howard assembled Hemsworth, Holland, and a stellar cast for the old-school adventure In the Heart of the Sea. Based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s best-selling book, the epic film tells the story of the whaleship Essex, whose real-life sinking served as the inspiration for Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby-Dick. Made for a reported $100 million, the Warner Bros. release was a box-office disappointment, grossing just $94 million.

Howard’s seafaring story may have failed to connect with audiences in 2015, but In the Heart of the Sea is currently inspiring a lot of Netflix views, landing it at No. 2 on the streamer’s daily top 10 movie chart. Only the Netflix original Carry-On prevented the epic real-life shipwreck tale from making it to the very top of the chart. This echoes what happened in the film’s original theatrical run when it came in at #2 on its opening weekend, while The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 took the top spot.

Our Take On In The Heart Of The Sea’s Netflix Success

Viewers Are Giving It A Deserved Second Chance

Philbrick’s non-fiction book provided a sturdy narrative on which to build an old-fashioned seafaring adventure, and Howard went all-out in realizing that story on-screen, serving up a harrowing tale of survival. The director’s efforts fell short, however, as critics and audiences both rejected In the Heart of the Sea's story. Today, the film is certified rotten on Rotten Tomatoes with a 43% fresh rating, and fares a little better in audience score, rating just 54% on the Popcornmeter.

Ben Whishaw plays Moby-Dick author Herman Melville in the film's opening and closing scenes

Audiences may have been unwilling to spend money on seeing Howard’s film when it was released in 2015, but its high-seas adventure story is proving compelling enough to draw a lot of eyes on streaming. The movie’s cast is part of its appeal, with stars like Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, and Benjamin Walker joining Holland and Hemsworth. Howard’s somewhat old-school approach may have made In the Heart of the Sea feel creaky on 2015 movie screens, but as a Netflix-and-chill title, it's proving more than seaworthy.

Source: Netflix