Apple TV+ has a huge hit on its hands as The Gorge has become its biggest movie yet. The film, which stars Miles Teller (Whiplash) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), was directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Black Phone) and has beaten the premiere of Apple’s hit movie, Wolfs, which starred George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
The Gorge follows two snipers from different nations, Levi (Teller) and Drasa (Taylor-Joy), as they stand guard over a gorge that holds many mysteries. Despite being on either side of the gorge in two separate watch towers, the two become close. But when the pair learn what the evil is that lurks at the bottom of the gorge, they have to fight to stop it from leaving. Sigourney Weaver also stars, and the script was written by Zach Dean (The Tomorrow War, Fast X).
When the movie premiered on Apple TV+ on Feb. 14, it quickly shot up to number one on the streamer’s chart. According to Deadline, the movie is responsible for increasing viewers by an astounding 80% from the previous weekend, and is experiencing double-digit growth around the world. Apple Original Films’ Head of Features, Matt Dentler, said the company is ecstatic with the reaction to The Gorge:
“It’s been a thrill for all of us at Apple to see the unforgettably original and inventive world Scott has created with ‘The Gorge’ resonate in such a massive way with audiences around the globe. Embarking on this immensely fun, genre-melding ride with our partners at Skydance has been an absolute joy, and we can’t wait to watch as even more fans discover the on-screen movie magic of Miles and Anya’s captivating performances.”
Fans and critics are pointing to the chemistry between Teller and Taylor-Joy, and it should continue to do well for Apple. The Gorge currently sits at 64% with critics and 78% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, so good word-of-mouth will have others seeking the movie out.
Apple TV+ Continues to Grow
While Apple is the largest business in the world by market capitalization, its streaming business is still new and quite small. But they’ve had a few hits, including the beloved Ted Lasso with Jason Sudeikis, along with The Morning Show, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Severance, Dan Erickson’s mind-bending show with Adam Scott, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette. In fact, Severance, which is currently in Season 2, just beat Ted Lasso as Apple TV’s most watched series.
Related
‘The Gorge’: What Was Really at the Botton of That Pit?
A hellscape of unspeakable horror, the terrifying monsters hold a dark secret in Apple TV+’s ‘The Gorge.’
It was revealed last year that Apple TV+ was planning on reining in the budgets of their shows and movies, especially when the streamer reportedly has the kind of viewership numbers in a month that are still less than what Netflix sees in a day. But with the huge and recent successes of both The Gorge and Severance, Apple TV+ may be emboldened to go big or go home. They are among those bidding on Top Gun Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer’s UFO conspiracy movie, which would be a very high-profile project.
The Gorge
2.5
/5
- Release Date
-
February 28, 2025
- Runtime
-
127 Minutes
- Writers
-
Zach Dean
- Producers
-
Gregory Goodman, C. Robert Cargill, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, Miles Teller, Sherryl Clark, Adam Kolbrenner
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
