Alexander Skarsgård’s $356M Action Movie Based on an Iconic 114-Year-Old Character Is a Big Hit on Prime Video

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I remember when Alexander Skarsgård tried to launch an action career a decade ago with a pretty forgettable film based on a classic literary character. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since his breakout role as Eric Northman on True Blood. He’s clearly taken interesting chances, moving between critically praised art house films like Melancholia and, let’s be honest, some huge flops – Battleship springs to mind. He’s had some wins, too, like being part of Godzilla vs. Kong and, of course, his fantastic work on Succession, which rightfully earned him two Emmys. But now, he’s revisited playing another iconic, very old literary figure… and unfortunately, that film didn’t exactly set the box office on fire either.

As of early February, Alexander Skarsgård’s The Legend of Tarzan became available on Amazon Prime Video and quickly climbed into the top 10 most-watched titles. It’s currently among the platform’s popular choices, alongside films like Sinners, A Minecraft Movie, and Ready Player One, as well as series such as Fallout and The Night Manager. Specifically, the movie is currently sixth in the rankings for films alone.

The Legend of Tarzan Was a Disappointing Reboot for the Franchise

Warner Bros. aimed to launch a new film series with their 2016 release, The Legend of Tarzan. The movie was based on the famous character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who first introduced Tarzan in a magazine story in 1912 and later in a novel in 1914. Over the years, Burroughs and other writers have penned 23 books in the main Tarzan series, and the character has been featured in a total of 40 films, with The Legend of Tarzan being the most recent.

The film aimed to relaunch the Tarzan story, starring Alexander Skarsgård as Tarzan. Margot Robbie played Jane, with Christoph Waltz as a Belgian official attempting to seize control of the area. Samuel L. Jackson appeared as an American who teams up with Tarzan, and Djimon Hounsou played the leader of a tribe of leopard warriors.

Despite a hefty $180 million production budget and direction from David Yates, known for the Harry Potter films, The Legend of Tarzan underperformed at the box office. While it earned $356 million globally, this wasn’t enough to recoup costs, resulting in a loss for the studio. The film also received a lukewarm reception, with a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, seemingly ending the franchise. However, the movie is now finding a new audience thanks to its availability on Prime Video.

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2026-02-03 04:11