Nicolas Cage is a renowned actor with numerous awards to his name, but his latest movie is struggling to gain traction. Having started his Hollywood career in 1981 in the show The Best of Times, he quickly pivoted to the big screen. Cage found roles in Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, and Face/Off, all while earning prominence fairly quickly. In the 2000s, he would star in National Treasure, Ghost Rider, and Kick-ᴀss among countless other films. He even gained renown as a voice actor, starring in The Croods and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

If Nicolas Cage’s impressive career is not astounding enough, he has also won several awards from major organizations. He earned Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance as Ben Sanderson in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, alongside a nomination for his work in Adaptation. He also won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globes for Leaving Las Vegas, and he earned further nominations for Moonstruck, 1992’s Honeymoon in Vegas, Adaptation, and Dream Scenario. Unfortunately, while his latest movie is entertaining critics, it has not been thrilling audiences.

The Surfer Has Been Dividing Viewers

Critics And Audiences Remain Conflicted

Cage’s most recent work, The Surfer, has already proven to disappoint its most important viewers. Telling the story of a surfer (Cage) struggling to connect with his old surfing spot while the entire town turns on him, it is a psychological thriller that showcases a man losing everything for his dreams. Cage stars alongside Julian McMahon’s Scally, Finn Little’s Kid, and Alexander Bertrand’s Pitbull. ScreenRant‘s Mae Abdulbaki reviewed The Surfer at SXSW and argued that it “requires a lot of patience” but is an “addictive watch,” as “Cage does his best with limited material.“

While Cage hoped to catch a strong wave, he instead disappointed audiences. Critics enjoyed the movie, offering an 86% Tomatometer score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences offered a cold 45% Popcornmeter score. Anything below a 60% mark is considered a poor response by Rotten Tomatoes’ standards, which is a worrying sign for this thriller. Verified viewers found it confusing and unentertaining, though they praised Cage’s performance. Critics, however, argued that this short and eerie movie offers a psychological edge that cannot be found anywhere else.

What The Divisive Score Means For The Surfer

Many Nicolas Cage Movies Are Similar

While a divisive score can be worrying for any movie, it should come as no surprise for Cage, who continually struggles to entertain both critics and audiences. While there are a few scattered movies that can balance critical acclaim with audience expectations, the majority of his recent works feature differences of 15% or more. Many of his Rotten movies are well-loved by audiences, while many Fresh movies can be despised. His last 10 movies alone prove just how divisive his works can be, as he oscillates between satisfying critics and earning their ire:

With audiences failing to connect with the movie, it could very well prove to be a challenging prospect to draw viewers into theaters. The movie is expected to earn just $750,000 in its opening weekend, an extremely low total for a Nicolas Cage-led movie. While critics can certainly impact an opening weekend, The Surfer needs audiences to promote positive word-of-mouth in order to improve its overall total. Unfortunately, with a dismal Popcornmeter score, Cage’s thriller appears to have been caught in a riptide.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes