It may have missed the target with critics, but Tom Hanks’ latest World War II project Greyhound has proven to be a huge success for Apple TV+, with the film smashing records for the fledgling streaming service.
The film, which is scripted by Hanks and also sees him portraying the captain of an Allied shipping convoy navigating the U-boat infested waters of the Atlantic ocean, was originally produced by Sony Pictures as a theatrical release. However, after being pushed into 2021 due to the global health crisis, Apple swooped in back in May to secure the distribution rights to the movie in a deal that was said to be worth around $70 million.
Well, it seems that could have been money well spent as Deadline is reporting that Greyhound smashed all viewing records for Apple TV+ following its arrival week, turning in “a viewing audience commensurate with a summer theatrical box office big hit.”
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Greyhound here
Apple isn’t offering up exact numbers, but did announce that 30% of accounts viewing the movie were new subscribers to the service.
In a thrilling story inspired by actual events, from a screenplay by and starring Tom Hanks, a first-time captain leads a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the “Black Pit” in the Atlantic to the front lines of WW2. With no air cover protection for 5 days, the captain and his convoy must battle the surrounding enemy Nazi U-boats in order to give the allies a chance to win the war.
