There’s just something about a disaster thriller that piques our interest as humans. Finding themselves on the spectrum of either “this could never happen” or “this is way too close to home,” the genre has long played on our fears of the end of the world. And, if there was one director who we’d consider to be obsessed with the apocalyptic idea, it would be — hands down —Roland Emmerich. The man behind such titles asMoonfall,Independence Day: Resurgence, and2012has made a career out of helming large-scale, epic blockbusters about the Earth’s final days. Two decades ago, he paired withJake Gyllenhaal,Dennis Quaid, andEmmy Rossumfor the adrenaline-pumpingThe Day After Tomorrow. Despite suffering a tidal wave of hate from critics, the movie is now enjoying a resurgence on its current streaming home of Peacock, where it finds itself steadily climbing the platform’s Top 10.
When it comes to which side of the genre spectrumThe Day After Tomorrowlands, it’s certainly channeling“too close to home.”The film follows Quaid’s Jack Hall, a climatologist who has been pressing the U.N. for years to do something aboutclimate changebefore it’s too late. Brushed off time and time again, he finally gets his “I told you so” moment when a massive superstorm forms over Canada, Europe, and Siberia. By this point, it’s far too late for the world to reverse its course, and now people around the globe are forced to hunker down as natural disasters rip across their countries. Venturing from Philadelphia to New York, Jack embarks on a quest to save his son, Sam (Gyllenhaal), who is trapped in the city alongside several of his friends.
‘The Day After Tomorrow’ Was a Box Office Hit But a Critical Failure
When all was said and done,The Day After Tomorrowstormed out of the global box office with more than $552 million against its $125 million production budget — not too shabby.With names like Gyllenhaal and Quaid attached, the film appealed to a broad range of ages, and with Emmerich in the driver’s seat, audiences knew they were in for anedge-of-your-seat nailbiterfrom beginning to end. Still, the film failed to impress critics, with itsRotten Tomatoesscore currently sitting at an disappointing 45%. Now, thanks to Peacock, a (presumably) new generation is checking out the movie, launching it to steadily climb up the streamer’s Top 10 over the last week.
You can streamThe Day After Tomorrownow on Peacock.
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow examines the consequences of abrupt climate change as a series of extreme weather events ravage the planet. A climatologist must navigate the frozen landscape to save his son in New York, highlighting the urgency of addressing environmental challenges and the resilience of human bonds amidst adversity.
Watch On Peacock
