Apollo 13 is once again capturing audiences as the Tom Hanks-led drama lands on ITVX, reminding viewers why it remains one of the greatest true-story films ever made.
Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Gary Sinise, the film dramatises one of NASA’s most dangerous and unforgettable missions.
The film is based on the true events of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission, which launched in April 1970, and gave birth to one of the most iconic lines in film history: ‘Houston, we have a problem.’
Released in 1995, Apollo 13 was an immediate box office phenomenon that quickly cemented its place in cinematic history.
The film earned an impressive $25million (£18million) during its opening weekend, playing across 2,347 theatres in the United States alone.
That opening figure accounted for 14.7 percent of the film’s total US gross, underlining just how strong its initial reception was.
Upon release, Apollo 13 debuted at number one at the box office, beating Disney’s Pocahontas to the top spot.
In doing so, it also overtook Forrest Gump to become the biggest opening weekend of Tom Hanks’ career at the time.
Within just five days, the film had generated $38.5million (£30.3million), making it the second-highest five-day opening in cinema history.
The only film ahead of it was Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which held the record at the time.
The success did not stop there, as the opening weekend across the industry brought in a staggering $154million (£123million) in ticket sales.
Apollo 13 would go on to dominate the box office for four consecutive weeks. By the end of its theatrical run, the film had earned $355million worldwide.
This made Apollo 13 the third-highest-grossing film of 1995, sitting just behind Die Hard with a Vengeance and Toy Story, which also starred Tom Hanks.
Decades on, the film’s popularity has shown no signs of slowing down.
Apollo 13 returned to cinemas as part of a special 30th anniversary IMAX re-release this September, offering audiences a chance to experience the space drama on the biggest screens possible.
Sorting the Apollo 13 fact from fiction
** Spoilers ahead **
The film tells the true story of three astronauts, Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, on the third mission to the moon.
The ill-fated Apollo 13 faces an onboard explosion only two days into the mission.
After six gruelling days of fighting for survival, all three astronauts make it back to earth safely at the end of the film.
Director Ron Howard was applauded for how technically accurate the film was in dramatising the real-life events.
Howard hired NASA’s real-life employees to gain assistance in astronaut training for his cast – to make the film as accurate as he possibly could.
Apollo 13 currently holds an impressive 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on more than 150 positive reviews.
Many critics have hailed it as a ‘gripping masterpiece.’
A Rotten Tomatoes critic, @geo_f, awarded the film five stars: ‘Its’ a great movie given its age. I am surprised by its visuals, they hold up to today’s standards. The scene in space is fantastic, overall, like a person told me, it’s a must-see classic.’
‘Brilliant masterpiece!! It’s very gripping from start to finish!’ @marvin_t added under his five-star review.
Apollo 13 is now available to stream on ITVX.
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