Two Of Tom Hanks’ $1.4B Franchise Movies Enjoying Renewed Streaming Success

In the wake of Pope Francis’ death, two films from Tom Hanks‘ $1.4 billion franchise have seen a boost in numbers. Hanks’ box office draw has been a big contributor to the franchises he’s involved in, with the biggest being the Toy Story franchise, which has so far grossed around $3.3 billion worldwide. As the voice actor of the iconic Woody, every film in the franchise has seen critical and commercial success, with the first Toy Story having a modest global box office draw of $244 million against a reported $30 million budget.

The franchise’s latest film, Toy Story 4, grossed $1 billion internationally. Each film of the franchise has broken box office records, and the numbers of its latest films prove that the franchise’s robust longevity remains. In a list of rankings for Hanks’ highest-grossing movies, Toy Story 3 and 4 top the list, with such films as Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan also high on the list with their respective $678 million and $482 million box office hauls.

Two Of Tom Hanks’ Robert Langdon Movies Have Made Hulu’s Top 15 Chart

The Franchise Overall Made $1.4 Billion Worldwide

Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon studying a cipher in The DaVinci Code

The unfortunate death of Pope Francis has seemingly led to a significant rise in viewership for two of Hanks’ Robert Langdon movies. Based on the books by Dan Brown and directed by Ron Howard, the franchise, which consists of the films The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno, enjoyed commercial success, despite generally negative critical reception. None of the three films have a Rotten Tomatoes score higher than 40% from critics, but they have made $1.4 billion at the international box office.

At the time of this writing, Howard and Hanks’ The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons are in Hulu’s Top 15 Movies Today list, with the former ranking at No. 10 and the latter at No. 11. The movies are situated ahead of the stand-up comedy special Jessica Kirson: I’m the Man at No. 15, Jack Black and Michael Cera’s Year One, which entered the top chart last week, at No. 14, the Chris Pratt-led The Tomorrow War, which has held a spot on the chart for the past few weeks, at No. 13 and Oscar darling Anora, which has also been a holdover hit since its March 17 premiere, at No. 12.

Our Take On The Robert Langdon Movies’ Rise In Viewership

Movies Revolving Around Religion Are Rising In Viewership Overall

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Pope Francis died at the age of 88 after a cerebral stroke. His sudden death has left those mourning and curious about the event consoling themselves through film. The Oscar-winning Vatican-set and Ralph Fiennes-led drama Conclave saw a 283% increase in streaming viewership the day after his death. As the film focused on the тιтular secret meeting of the College of Cardinals gathering to elect a new pope, the number of newcomers and fans watching the film makes sense and comes with little surprise.

Scenes like Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence’s monologue on certainty, an Oscar-worthy moment, and Conclave’s twist ending have been key focuses brought up by this wave of viewers. While Conclave is personally the more timely watch because of its altruistic message, stellar performances, and striking visuals, the religious themes and symbolism in the Robert Langdon movies do warrant a revisit of the franchise. This seeming rise of interest in religion, whether it’s just surface-area intrigue or deep devotion, could beget a significant rise in more religion-based franchises outside of Hanks’ Robert Langdon franchise.

Source: Hulu