An unheralded remake that became a box office smash hit without anyone noticing reaches #1 on Netflix

There aren’t many actors left who are capable of opening a movie based entirely on the strength of their own name and nothing else, but A Man Called Otto once again reinforced that Tom Hanks is definitely among them.

On the surface, a quaint and largely unnecessary remake of a Swedish literary adaptation that had only released in 2015 hardly screams “box office success story,” but the power of Hanks played a huge part in propelling director Marc Forster’s movie to unexpected heights.

Without anyone really noticing at all, A Man Called Otto showed remarkable legs to hang around the Top 10 for weeks on end, ultimately exiting the multiplex with a total of $109 million in the coffers. While that’s hardly comparable to even the worst-performing blockbusters, it was merely the latest example of the enduring popularity and longevity America’s Dad has on moviegoers around the world.

As if it needed to be underlined and given an exclamation point, A Man Called Otto is now the number one most-watched feature among Netflix subscribers in the United States, per FlixPatrol. Would it have come within touching distance of the summit were it not for the presence of the universally-beloved Hanks as the titular curmudgeon? That’s entirely up for debate, but you get the sneaking suspicion the definitive answer would be in the negative.

The two-time Academy Award winner may not be the biggest fan of the streaming era, but he sure knows how to launch his films right to the very top of the rankings on a regular basis.