A new Prime Video science fiction movie is performing well on streaming in spite of receiving poor scores from audiences. Prime Video is the subscription streaming service operated by Amazon that is best known for television series including The Boys, Reacher, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

However, there are also a number of original Prime Video movies. Some of their most notable recent streaming тιтles include the John Cena and Idris Elba action comedy Heads of State, the thriller sequel Another Simple Favor, and the Tyler Perry drama Divorce in the Black.

War Of The Worlds Is Conquering Streaming

2025’s War of the Worlds has become a streaming hit during its debut week. The new Prime Video original movie, which stars Ice Cube, Eva Longoria, Iman Benson, Andrea Savage, Devon Bostick, and Clark Gregg, is an adaptation of the iconic 1898 sci-fi novel of the same name by H. G. Wells.

The novel has previously been adapted multiple times, including as a 2005 Steven Spielberg movie starring Tom Cruise, a George Pal-produced movie in 1953, and an Orson Welles-directed radio drama in 1938 that famously used a “breaking news” style format which caused a panic when some listeners believed that aliens were really invading.

The 2025 movie draws inspiration from the Welles version, taking on a screenlife format to underscore its added themes about the aliens consuming data. However, it has not won over audiences. It has a 10% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes and 2.2 out of 5 on Prime Video’s own interface, thanks to 48% of its reviews giving it one star.

After debuting on the platform on July 30, War of the Worlds instantly leaped to No. 1 on Prime Video‘s daily chart of their most-watched movies worldwide. It first appeared on the chart on July 31 and has continued to hold the top position for three consecutive days, through the time of writing.

As of Friday, War of the Worlds was also No. 2 on Prime Video’s overall chart in the United States, behind only their young adult romance series The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is currently in the middle of airing season 3.

What This Means For War Of The Worlds

Ultimately, the success of War of the Worlds will likely be determined by its longevity. The science fiction movie may be getting an initial boost because new Prime Video originals are given pride of place on the streaming service’s homepage, but if audiences continue to react this negatively to it, it may not remain on the chart for long.

Source: Prime Video & Rotten Tomatoes