Chris Hemsworth might be one of the most popular and highest-paid stars in Hollywood thanks to his decade-long stint as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor, but his track record of critical and commercial success is patchy at best when he ventures outside of his Asgardian comfort zone.
In fact, arguably the most successful movie he’s headlined that isn’t part of the MCU didn’t even score a theatrical release, but Netflix’s Extraction did become the platform’s most-watched original film ever, with the second installment set to start shooting later this year to kick off the expansion of an entire string of sequels and spinoffs built out from the adventures of Tyler Rake.
Michael Mann’s Blackhat, Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea, Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot, twisty crime thriller Bad Times at the El Royale and Men in Black: International all put Hemsworth front and center, only to bomb at the box office. In a cruel twist of fate, the highest-grossing title he’s ever appeared in when he hasn’t been wielding Mjolnir came with Snow White and the Hunstman, but when he was bumped up to leading man status for the sequel, The Huntsman: Winter’s War ended up earning $140 million less and flopped hard.
The first outing was hardly a classic by any means, but it was a revisionist fairytale that offered up a few fleeting moments of entertainment, thanks largely to Charlize Theron’s scenery chewing performance as Queen Ravenna. As for Chris Hemsworth, he did the best he could with a questionable accent and bland archetype across both outings, but the results were far from memorable. That being said, The Hunstman: Winter’s War has been enjoying a surprising renaissance on Netflix, having jumped almost 30 places to currently sit in sixteenth position in the most-watched rankings.
