Cillian Murphy's Epic Underrated Historical Survival Drama With 2 Marvel Stars Heads to a New Streamer

Cillian Murphy's Epic Underrated Historical Survival Drama With 2 Marvel Stars Heads to a New Streamer Cillian Murphy on the red carpetImage via Instar Images By  Rahul Malhotra Published 39 minutes ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

For director Ron Howard, the box office failure of Eden must have felt like déjà vu; this wasn't the first time that he'd made a star-studded survival drama that tanked at the box office. A decade before Eden, he directed In the Heart of the Sea, which earned mixed reviews and flopped massively despite featuring a future Oscar winner and two Marvel stars. Like Eden, In the Heart of the Sea was based on a real-life incident: the sinking of a whaling ship named Essex, which partly inspired the story of Hermann Melville's "Moby Dick." The movie hasn't exactly sparked a reappraisal in the years since its release, despite its stacked cast. But it's sailing toward a new streaming service this December, where it'll likely be discovered by new audiences.

Released in 2015, the movie grossed just under $95 million at the worldwide box office, against a reported budget of $100 million. In the Heart of the Sea marked Howard's second collaboration (in a row) with Chris Hemsworth, following the racing drama Rush, which was released a couple of years prior. Unlike that film, which earned positive reviews, In the Heart of the Sea opened to a middling response. It now holds a 42% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "The admirably old-fashioned In the Heart of the Sea boasts thoughtful storytelling to match its visual panache, even if it can't claim the depth or epic sweep to which it so clearly aspires."

'In the Heart of the Sea' Was Overflowing With Stars

Besides Hemsworth, the movie also features Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Benjamin Walker, and Brendan Gleeson. Eden, which grossed only around $2 million worldwide against a reported budget of $50 million, features Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Ana de Armas, Daniel Brühl, and others. Howard is now putting together a war drama titled Alone at Dawn, which stars Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway. Hemsworth and Holland are both expected to return as Thor and Spider-Man in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, although Holland will also headline the fourth solo Spider-Man movie a few months prior.

You can watch In the Heart of the Sea on Prime Video beginning December 30, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

In the Heart of the Sea

Like Follow Followed PG-13 Action Adventure Drama Release Date December 11, 2015 Runtime 121minutes Director Ron Howard Writers Charles Leavitt

Cast

See All

• Brendan Gleeson
• Cillian Murphy
• Chris Hemsworth
• Ben Whishaw

Genres Action, Adventure, Drama Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• In the Heart of the Sea
• Cillian Murphy

Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close Thread Sign in to your Collider account

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.

Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

Your comment has not been saved

Send confirmation email

This thread is open for discussion.

Be the first to post your thoughts.

• Terms
• Privacy
• Feedback

Recommended 1 day ago

The Beach Boys Song No One Expected to Become Their Greatest — and Why It’s Now Their Most Covered Classic

1 day ago

16 Years After the Original, Horror’s Most Twisted Imposter Returns for a Chilling New Chapter

1 day ago

Before ‘The Crown,’ This 3-Season Historical Series Took Netflix by Storm — and It’s Free To Binge This Weekend

1 day ago

One of the Most Haunting War Movies of All Time Is Leaving Netflix

What To Watch

July 20, 2025 The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Trending Now Before 'Superman,' James Gunn Made a Dark and Bloody Superhero Movie — and It's Now on Netflix 30 Years Later, This Classic ’90s TV Fantasy Still Holds Up Better Than Its Blockbuster Counterparts From 'Record of Ragnarök' to 'Stranger Things', These Are the Best Shows Coming to Netflix in December