A sci-fi thriller has now become a success on streaming after a long road to actually releasing. From small budgets to big-budget blockbuster fare, sci-fi remains a dependable genre with wide audience appeal. The genre often transports viewers to an alternate version of reality, showing advanced technology or possible futures.

Sci-fi movies have been a staple of the theatrical space for decades. From early cult classics like Blade Runner (1982) to Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed and beloved Interstellar (2014), these movies are often built for the big screen.

In today’s streaming-dominant era, however, audiences are also likely to see some sci-fi flicks go straight to streaming. The Gorge (2025), for example, was released directly onto Apple TV+ in February and The Electric State (2025) hit Netflix in March.

A direct-to-streaming release can sometimes make a movie feel like less of a cultural event, but that certainly doesn’t mean it can’t reach viewers. Often, sci-fi movies that forego a theatrical release for one reason or another do end up becoming viewership successes, and a new 2025 release has now followed that same trend.

Long Distance Ascends The Streaming Charts

The Sci-Fi Movie Beats Some Major тιтles

After a five-year wait for its release, Long Distance is now dominating on streaming. Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, the sci-fi thriller stars Anthony Ramos as Andy Ramirez, an asteroid miner who must travel across dangerous alien territory to reconnect with Naomi (Naomi Scott), the only other survivor from a devastating crash.

Long Distance was first announced in 2019, with Amblin Partners purchasing the rights to the script, which was then called Distant. After a 2020 shoot, the film was slated for a 2022 release through Universal Pictures, but was subsequently delayed and removed from the schedule. It was then finally released directly onto Hulu on July 3.

According to FlixPatrol, Long Distance has now become a success on Hulu, ranking as the sixth most popular movie on the service for July 20. It beats тιтles like Wrath of Man (2021) and The Equalizer 3 (2023), but falls short of The ᴀssessment (2024), High Rollers (2025), and, in the top spot, The Amateur (2025). Check out the full top 10 chart below:

What This Means For Long Distance

The Movie’s Reception Explained

Long Distance may be climbing the Hulu charts in terms of viewership, but that doesn’t mean it has been released to critical acclaim. There aren’t enough critics’ reviews to paint a clear picture of the film’s reception in that area, but the audience response has been mixed.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Long Distance holds a lackluster 48% Popcornmeter Score. This score has been generated from only 50+ reviews, so it’s certainly subject to change as more people watch the film, but it suggests that not all who watch leave satisfied by the experience.

Even though Long Distance is now finding streaming success, it still remains relatively underseen compared to what could have been under different circumstances. Had the film been given a proper theatrical release from Universal, it may have become a more widely known тιтle. In any case, this newfound success is a positive outcome after several years of delays.

Source: FlixPatrol