A star-studded fantasy cursed to wither and die at the box office escapes into a new reality on streaming

Fantasy often tends to be inconsistent in terms of both critical acclaim and box office success, but A Monster Calls had more than enough in the tank to surely guarantee it would become at the very least a minor success.

Bolstered by a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 86 percent, the cast and crew was packed to the rafters with top-tier talent, which featured director J.A. Bayona marshaling an ensemble that numbered Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, and Toby Kebbell, with Liam Neeson voicing and performing motion capture for the titular creature, while Tom Holland even stepped in for one week of production.

In the end, though, A Monster Calls couldn’t turn rave reviews into profits, and limped out of theaters with a disappointing $47 million in ticket sales. That’s a borderline travesty given that its easily one of the genre’s most unsung gems to come along in the last decade, but the relentlessly dark tone might have put off family crowds, while the general public didn’t seem all that interested.

Effects-heavy adventures with something to say on the state of the world can regularly be relied on to return with a vengeance on streaming, with A Monster Calls fortunate enough to be in the midst of a comeback after FlixPatrol revealed it to be one of the most-watched movies on iTunes this week.

It deserved infinitely better during its initial run on the big screen, but enduring status as an under-the-radar gem and certifiable minor classic might just have to do instead.