As unfortunate as it is, The Life of Chuck‘s poor box office actually draws comparisons to another Stephen King movie from 1994. At the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, long before its theatrical release, The Life of Chuck won the People’s Choice Award. That first ignited hope that it would be a major hit when it was released this summer.

Even though reviews for The Life of Chuck were great, with Screen Rant‘s own Mae Abdulbaki giving it a score of 8 out of 10 stars, it unfortunately didn’t perform well at the box office. Still, it can’t be denied that it is a fascinating watch. Told in reverse chronological order, The Life of Chuck is an existential film that tells the story of a dying man’s life.

The movie is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mike Flanagan and stars Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, and many more. Because of this all-star cast and the positive reviews, The Life of Chuck has since become a hit on streaming. This, combined with its box office underperformance, suggests that The Life Of Chuck is the modern-day version of The Shawshank Redemption, another King adaptation.

Life Of Chuck & Shawshank Redemption Were Both Box Office Bombs Despite Great Reviews

Throughout its theatrical run, which began on May 30, The Life of Chuck only managed to gross $13 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo). This poor performance was definitely disheartening for fans of the short story, especially since the adaptation has been regarded as one of the best movies based on King’s work ever.

Furthermore, it’s a shame that Flanagan didn’t earn more recognition for his work. Throughout his career, he has consistently proven that he has a deep understanding of King’s stories and characters, having also directed Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. Despite this, he could not convince people to see The Life of Chuck in theaters.

Since The Life of Chuck bombed at the box office, it may be hard for Flanagan to make another movie based on King’s lesser-known works. However, The Shawshank Redemption, the beloved 1994 film that is also based on one of King’s short stories, suggests that the sentiment towards The Life of Chuck will improve as time goes on.

A box office bomb is precisely what The Shawshank Redemption was when it was initially released. Despite terrific reviews, the Frank Darabont-helmed King adaptation only made $28 million at the worldwide box office. Now, because of several re-releases, The Shawshank Redemption has grossed $29 million globally (via Box Office Mojo).

Since it had a budget of $25 million, The Shawshank Redemption lost quite a bit of money for the studio. However, over 30 years after its release, nobody ever thinks of it as a box office failure, since it has earned a reputation as one of the best movies ever. In fact, it is the highest-rated movie on IMDb, besting iconic films like The Godfather and The Dark Knight.

The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to life in prison after he’s wrongfully found guilty of murdering his wife, and tells the heartwarming story of the friendships he makes as he adjusts to his new life. Over the years, especially in the age of streaming, people have loved to watch (and rewatch) it, cementing it as one of the most influential movies of all time.

The Life Of Chuck Could Follow Shawshank’s Trajectory & Become A Beloved Movie Over Time

Even though it struggled at the box office, it seems like most people who watch The Life of Chuck end up loving it. The movie’s audience score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at 88%, which is higher than its critic score. Therefore, there’s a chance that The Life of Chuck will follow The Shawshank Redemption‘s trajectory and have an even better reputation in another decade or two.

Like The Shawshank Redemption, perhaps The Life of Chuck will even be regarded as one of the best movies of all time in the future. This may be a stretch, but the two films have similar themes and messages, which makes them both incredibly inspiring and uplifting. They’re universal stories about life and friendship, and that ensures multiple generations can be affected by them.

At the very least, The Life of Chuck should be remembered as one of the best King adaptations, which will allow it to continue finding new viewers in the years to come. Its streaming success already suggests that it is a movie that people want to watch from the comfort of their homes, which is also the case with The Shawshank Redemption.

Even though the Hiddleston-led movie wasn’t a success financially, it shouldn’t be thought of as a total failure. After all, there was an enormous amount of compeтιтion this summer. When The Life of Chuck was released, major blockbusters like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Lilo & Sтιтch were still dominating the box office.

It was never going to stand a chance against movies like these, but that’s okay. It has its own merits beyond simply earning a lot of money. Over time, The Life of Chuck may reign supreme and be remembered as one of the best movies of 2025, and perhaps even one of the greatest of all time.