Apple TV+’s $100M Rom-Com Flop Soars as a Streaming Hit

5 days ago 6

Published Feb 6, 2026, 9:00 AM EST

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).

Apple Studios finally delivered the theatrical blockbuster that had been eluding it with F1, which was released last year. The movie grossed more than $630 million at the worldwide box office and earned a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. However, the road to critical and commercial success wasn't easy for the tech giant. While Apple's Coda became the first streaming movie to win the Best Picture honor at the Oscars, F1's success was preceded by a string of big-budget flops — the historical drama Napoleon, the action comedy Argylle, and the crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon, to name just three. Now, another movie that was part of this streak has accomplished a major goal on the Apple TV charts.

The movie in question, Fly Me to the Moon, was released theatrically in 2024 in collaboration with Sony. It was a period romantic comedy — not the most bankable genre — headlined by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. While both stars have had incredible box office success over the years, Fly Me to the Moon grossed only around $40 million worldwide against a reported $100 million budget. The movie earned mixed reviews and is now sitting at a 66% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads: "Sustained by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum's screwball chemistry even when its plotting strains credulity, this throwback romance is a pleasant enough trip to the moon and back." However, its audience score of 89% shows why it has been so popular on home video.

'Fly Me to the Moon' Found Its Audience After Its Theatrical Run

Directed by Greg Berlanti, Fly Me to the Moon has spent more than 200 days on Apple's domestic viewership charts, according to FlixPatrol. Only the crime comedy The Instigators, the action comedy Wolfs, the genre-mashup The Gorge, and the latest entrant in this group, the action adventure Fountain of Youth, have spent more time on the list. Apple ultimately wants movies to do well both in theaters and on streaming, which is something it achieved only with F1. The sports drama is currently the number one movie on its leaderboard, and will likely hold on to its crown by the time the Oscars roll around.