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While Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey dominates the global box office, another movie has achieved a remarkable feat on streaming. Both films are targeted at older audiences and are headlined by iconic American stars — Tom Hanks and Matt Damon — who worked together on a modern classic several years ago. The Odyssey grossed more than $250 million globally in its first weekend of release, while Hanks' Apple TV title passed a major milestone during the same window. The movie in question was originally supposed to be released in theaters, but was offloaded to Apple TV for a reported $70 million. The gamble paid off, with the film having cemented itself as a fixture on the streamer's viewership charts for over half a decade.
The movie brought Hanks back to the genre that he loves more than any other: World War II. The two-time Oscar winner famously starred in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, which remained the highest-grossing WWII movie for years until it was overtaken by Nolan's Dunkirk. Hanks and Spielberg subsequently worked on a trio of big-budget shows that revolved around different theaters of WWII — Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Masters of the Air. More recently, the star appeared as the host of the History Channel documentary series World War II with Tom Hanks, which is nearing the end of its epic 20-episode run.
Tom Hanks Wanted His WWII Hit to Get a Theatrical Run
His Apple TV hit, of course, is Greyhound. Inspired by the maritime action film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Greyhound featured Hanks as the captain of a destroyer tasked with escorting Allied forces across a particularly dangerous stretch of sea. The film was directed by Aaron Schneider, who is returning with Hanks for the long-awaited sequel. Greyhound now holds a "Certified Fresh" 77% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "Greyhound's characters aren't as robust as its action sequences, but this fast-paced World War II thriller benefits from its efficiently economical approach." Although Hanks has expressed disappointment that the movie never got a theatrical run, he can celebrate its success on streaming. According to FlixPatrol, Greyhound has spent more than 750 days on the domestic Apple TV chart. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
