Based on the general malaise surrounding his most recent features, there was a belief that Roland Emmerich returning to the disaster genre would signal an upturn in fortunes, only for Moonfall to flop spectacularly.
The Master of Disaster hasn’t helmed a genuine box office success since 2012, and that was released 13 years ago, which is hardly encouraging. Even his $100 million World War II epic Midway failed to catch on, despite numerous projects proving the enduring popularity of the subgenre, most notably the likes of Saving Private Ryan, Pearl Harbor, Dunkirk, and even the fictionalized Inglourious Basterds.
The story unfolds from multiple points of view on either side of the titular battle, with Japanese and American soldiers caught in the middle of a sprawling and pivotal moment in world history. In the end, Midway didn’t make much of an impression on either critics or viewers, before quickly being lost to the sands of time.
Netflix is always there to resurrect the flagging fortunes of forgotten films, though, and subscribers have responded in kind by checking out Midway in their numbers per FlixPatrol, with the money-losing flop currently entrenched on the most-watched list.