Tom Cruise Sci-Fi Remake War of the Worlds Becomes Streaming Hit

Tom Cruise is currently having a moment. Digger, his mysterious new film directed by Birdman director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opens in theaters this coming weekend. After that, Cruise is set to unite with Oscar winner Anne Hathaway on a sequel to his 1990 NASCAR film Days of Thunder, which is scheduled for release in theaters on June 2, 2028. In the meantime, one of the most underrated swings of his career has caught a lot of attention on streaming.

The 2005 adaptation of War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Cruise and Dakota Fanning, is currently the ninth most-watched movie on HBO Max in America. At the time of this writing, A24’s Backrooms sits at the top of the chart, followed by DC Studios’ Supergirl and the 2025 heist film Fuze.

On paper, this streaming bump for War of the Worlds is surprising, as the film is not a new addition to the HBO Max library and has been on the platform since 2023. But ahead of Digger—which is being released by HBO Max’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery—subscribers may be finding related titles on the platform. Another Cruise film, the 2017 biopic American Made, is currently sitting at number four on the charts, with Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning 2015 film The Revenant sitting at number six.

War of the Worlds stars Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a crane operator who has to keep his family safe amid a world-ending alien invasion. In addition to Cruise and Fanning, the film also features performances from Justin Chatwin (Shameless), Miranda Otto (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Tim Robbins (Silo), Rick Gonzalez (Arrow), Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary), Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), Channing Tatum (Avengers: Doomsday), and Ty Simpkins (Iron Man 3). Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, who starred in the original 1953 film adaptation of War of the Worlds, also appear as a set of grandparents.

Cruise and Spielberg’s War of the Worlds was a hit upon its release, grossing $604 million worldwide and earning Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing. But in the decades since the film’s debut, it has faded away from the conversation surrounding Cruise’s filmography, and particularly his sci-fi titles like 2002’s Minority Report and 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow.

The story of War of the Worlds exists far beyond the 2005 film, with H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel being adapted several times over the years. Orson Welles infamously directed and narrated a radio drama of War of the Worlds in 1938, which was so effective that it convinced parts of the audience that an alien invasion was really happening. Universal Pictures released their own take on War of the Worlds in 2025, starring Ice Cube and Eva Longoria and presented entirely through events happening on a computer screen, which has since been dubbed one of the worst movies of all time.

Source: Polygon