John Krasinski’s and Natalie Portman’s latest Apple TV+ adventure movie may not be proving a hit with critics, but their treasure-hunting antics are quickly becoming a streaming success story. Portman, whose previous tenure in major franchises such as Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is no stranger to high-octane adventure and has repeatedly proven herself in multiple fan-favorite roles since first coming to widespread attention in Luc Besson’s 1994 action thriller Léon: The Professional.
Her latest outing also sees her teamed with Krasinski, whose breakout role as Jim Halpert in the US version of The Office has helped make him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors. More recently, however, Krasinski’s versatility has been proven from a series of more serious, action-focused roles in projects such as Prime Video’s Jack Ryan and his directorial forays into the horror genre with the A Quiet Place movies.
Fountain Of Youth Becomes An Apple TV+ Streaming Hit
The Guy Ritchie Adventure Movie Tops Apple TV’s Streaming Charts Within Days Of Release
With the benefits of two high-profile leads and the pulp action sensibilities of director Guy Ritchie at the helm, Apple TV+’s latest foray into family-style action adventure at first seemed poised to deliver the service another notable success. However, reviews for the Fountain of Youth have been decidedly mixed since its recent streaming release. Currently sitting at 38% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, many critics have accused the movie of relying on an overly derivative and uninspired plot, pieced awkwardly together with Ritchie’s trademark action sequences.
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Guy Ritchie’s latest feature is a welcome homage to classic adventure movies, taking its characters all around the globe in search of eternal life.
Despite generating some less-than-positive reviews, the initial viewership for Fountain of Youth remains strong, with the movie currently sitting at number 1 on Apple TV+’s Top 10 movies chart, beating out the Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy sci-fi thriller The Gorge for the top spot. Given the movie was only released on May 23, the jump suggests that Fountain of Youth has still managed to capture the attention of a not insignificant number of viewers within a very short period of streaming availability.
Our Take On Fountain Of Youth’s Week-1 Streaming Success
Apple’s Number 2 Movie Also Had Similar Critical Responses
While it is not unheard of for new movies to quickly rise to the top of a streaming service’s Top 10 list, Fountain of Youth’s rapid rise would suggest that the film still has enough high-profile draw cards to encourage viewers to take a gamble on it. The real test will be whether the movie can maintain its initial momentum and continue the same precedent previously set by Apple’s current number two movie, The Gorge.
In an entertainment landscape where streaming audiences will likely pay greater heed to Fountain of Youth’s undeniable star power than to what many would deem arbitrary scores, there is every chance the movie could continue to prove its doubters wrong.
While The Gorge may have fared slightly better with critics, many of the film’s reviews could only be categorized as lukewarm at best. Nonetheless, its own February 14 streaming release would become the streamer’s biggest movie launch yet, and it too would regularly sit atop the service’s Top 10 Movies list for the months to follow. In an entertainment landscape where streaming audiences will likely pay greater heed to Fountain of Youth’s undeniable star power than to what many would deem arbitrary scores, there is every chance the movie could continue to prove its doubters wrong.
Source: Apple TV+
Fountain of Youth
5/10
- Release Date
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May 23, 2025
- Runtime
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125 minutes
- Writers
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James Vanderbilt
- Producers
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Jake Myers, William Sherak, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, Tripp Vinson, Ivan Atkinson