EXCLUSIVE: Apple Original Films’ The Gorge has become the biggest film launch in the young streamer’s history. The Scott Derrickson-directed thriller from Skydance stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy as rival guardians on the watchtower overseeing a mysterious gorge below, It becomes a long-distance relationship that leads to the inevitable plunge below to discover the truth about creatures dwelling there. It’s one of the sharper direct-to-streaming films I’ve seen in a good long time. The Gorge eclipses numbers turned in by the Jon Watts-directed George Clooney-Brad Pitt-starrer Wolfs, which launched last fall, pivoting from a planned wide release to a small theatrical and global streaming release.
Apple does not divulge specific numbers, but the company confirms it is the biggest film premiere in Apple TV+ history, driving double-digit growth globally for the service and boosting new viewers by +80%, weekend over weekend, following its debut on Friday, February 14. This comes after Deadline revealed that Severance eclipsed Ted Lasso to become Apple TV+’s most viewed series in the history of the service.
“It’s been a thrill for all of us at Apple to see the unforgettably original and inventive world Scott has created with ‘The Gorge’ resonate in such a massive way with audiences around the globe,” said Matt Dentler, head of features, Apple Original Films. “Embarking on this immensely fun, genre-melding ride with our partners at Skydance has been an absolute joy, and we can’t wait to watch as even more fans discover the on-screen movie magic of Miles and Anya’s captivating performances.”
Teller and Taylor-Joy have strong chemistry as highly-trained operatives who fall for each other while guarding the world from a secret danger lurking inside a mysterious gorge. The film is scripted by Zach Dean, and produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger alongside Crooked Highway’s Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, Sherryl Clark, as well as Zach Dean, Adam Kolbrenner and Greg Goodman. Miles Teller is executive producer.
