A Chris Hemsworth movie is dominating Disney Plus right now — and, no, it’s not one of his Marvel films. The Australian actor is most closely associated with the role of Thor Odinson in the MCU, but Hemsworth’s also appeared in various other noteworthy projects over the past decade. Some are noteworthy for the right reasons — like Netflix hit Extraction — while others… not so much. Case in point, Bad Times at the El Royale AKA one of the biggest bombs of 2018.
And yet despite its failure in theaters, this thriller flick is finding new life on streaming, as it’s currently the seventh most-watched movie on D+ the world over. Bad Times at the El Royale follows six strangers and an employee at the eponymous El Royale, a hotel on the California-Nevada border, each of whom are harboring dark secrets. Secrets that are about to intersect over the course of one fateful night.
Bad Times saw Hemsworth reunite with director Drew Goddard, who he previously worked with on the 2012 horror-comedy The Cabin in the Woods. Hemsworth plays against type as Billy Lee, the Charles Manson-like leader of a murderous cult. The ensemble cast also features Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, John Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Nick Offerman.
Critics loved the flick, with many comparing it to the works of Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick. On Rotten Tomatoes, it sports a Certified Fresh rating of 74%. “Smart, stylish, and packed with solid performances,” reads the critics’ consensus. “Bad Times at the El Royale delivers pure popcorn fun with the salty tang of social subtext.”
Unfortunately, audiences weren’t so enamored with it. On the back of a slim $32 million budget, the movie earned… $31.9 million at the global box office. So it was bad times at 20th Century Fox when that happened. But at least it’s now being reappraised by streaming viewers, likely thanks to Hemsworth’s presence.
Bad Times at the El Royale isn’t available on Disney Plus in the US, but it can be found on Amazon Prime Video.
