Tom Cruise’s 113-Minute “Aliens Meets Groundhog Day” Sci-Fi Thriller Becomes Streaming Sensation

As Tom Cruise faces the aftermath of his latest project Digger failing to captivate audiences, one of his best films has resurfaced as a streaming hit. Mixing elements from the time travel subgenre with alien invasion tropes, this sci-fi thriller was a huge hit for the Hollywood legend, who took on a role that differed from his usual action-hero persona. If you think Mission: Impossible‘s Ethan Hunt has been through a lot, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Edge of Tomorrow’ Is One of Cruise’s Most Critically-Acclaimed Films

The latest Cruise film to surge on streaming is Edge of Tomorrow, the 2014 sci-fi epic that saw him co-star with Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, and Brendan Gleeson. Cruise plays Major William Cage, an officer in charge of media relations during an alien invasion. When he’s sent to dangerous territory, Cage instead tries to blackmail his way out of the situation. As punishment, he’s sent to fight the massive creatures, and due to his lack of expertise, Cage dies when he triggers a land mine.

However, Cage wakes up in the airport before being sent to the battlefield. As it turns out, he was covered in alien blood when he died, and this has given him the “ability” to repeatedly die and wake up at the same moment. Ultimately, he tries to team up with Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Blunt) and use his newfound powers to fight the aliens. Yes, it’s a time-loop/time-travel movie in the best style of previous classics like Back to the Future and Groundhog Day, only there are aliens in the picture now.

Edge of Tomorrow was inspired by the 2004 Japanese young-adult novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. It was directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) from a script that went through multiple writers over several years. Christopher McQuarrie, director of several Mission: Impossible films and the writer of Top Gun: Maverick, was among the writers credited on the screenplay (alongside Jez Butterworth and John‑Henry Butterworth).

The sci-fi thriller arrived in theaters in June 2014. With a production budget of $178 million, it was considered a risky release, yet it ultimately grossed $381 million worldwide. Edge of Tomorrow is one of Cruise’s highest-grossing movies outside a franchise and his last big hit in the sci-fi genre to date.

Edge of Tomorrow was a success with both audiences and critics. The film holds a 91% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s the actor’s second-highest-rated non-franchise film on the review aggregator. It sits behind the comedy Risky Business, which holds 92%.

The film’s success inevitably sparked discussions about a sequel, and though there have been some signs that the project could see the light of day, no official announcement has been made. Cruise’s busy schedule might be the one reason why Edge of Tomorrow 2 still remains uncertain.

12 Years Later, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ Becomes a Streaming Success

12 years after its arrival in theaters, Edge of Tomorrow continues to attract audiences on streaming. The sci-fi action film has resurfaced on Apple TV‘s VOD section, and according to the latest chart update, it now sits at No. 6. It ranks below recent hits like Resident Evil, Verity, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.