Years before Cillian Murphy won an Oscar for Oppenheimer and Tom Holland's Marvel films broke box office records, the two renowned actors starred together in In the Heart of the Seawhich is now streaming on Netflix. The 2015 historical adventure film featured many other notable stars. However, Murphy and Holland are undoubtedly two of the most in-demand actors in 2025, with Murphy just won the Oscar for best actor and the eternal success of Holland with Spiderman and beyond.
Now Murphy is set to return for 28 years laterthe third film of the 28 days later series, as executive producer (and eventually on screen as his character, Jim). Murphy will also reprise his iconic Peaky Blinders role in The immortal mana sequel to the BBC show. Meanwhile, Holland is one of the the star cast of Christopher Nolan's next filman adaptation of The Odyssey. And Holland will return in the next fourth without a title Spiderman movie. But if fans want to look back at the actors' careers, The only film Murphy and Holland have made together has been on Netflix since January 1, 2025.
In the Heart of the Sea is about the real 1820 whaling shipwreck that inspired Moby Dick
The 2015 film is based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book
Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland In the Heart of the Sea tells the true story of the sinking of the Essexan American whaling ship, in 1820, which partly inspired Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick. Murphy plays Matthew Joy, the ship's first mate, while Holland plays Thomas Nickerson, the Essexthe cabin boy. Both characters are based on real people who were in the field. Essex when a whale struck it, damaging it to the point that it inevitably sank.
|
In the Heart of the Sea Cast |
Role |
|---|---|
|
Chris Hemsworth |
Owen Chase |
|
Benjamin Walker |
George Pollard Jr. |
|
Cillian Murphy |
Matthew Joy |
|
Tom Holland |
Thomas Nickerson |
|
Brendan Gleeson |
Old Thomas Nickerson |
|
Ben Whishaw |
Herman Melville |
|
Michelle Fairley |
Ms. Nickerson |
THE Essex left Nantucket in August 1819 on what was supposed to be a two and a half year voyage to hunt whales. However, a whale attacked the boat more than a year into the journey. On November 20, 1820, THE Essex was about 2,000 miles west of the equator when the whale struck the ship several times, leading to its sinking. The survivors made do with the wreckage, retreated to smaller whaling boats, and attempted to sail to the nearest land. Unfortunately, their mission was not very successful.
In the Heart of the Sea showcased Holland's acting skills before people started recognizing him for playing Spider-Man in the MCU.
A lot happened in the three months that followed Essex sank, while survivors tried to stay alive, and it's all documented In In the Heart of the Sea. THE This true story also partly inspired Melville to write his acclaimed novel Moby-Dick. In the book, a sailor, Ishmael, recounts the mission of Captain Ahab, who seeks revenge on Moby Dick, a whale who mauled him on his previous voyage.
In The Heart Of The Sea is one of Tom Holland's best early performances before Spider-Man
The historical adventure drama film In the Heart of the Sea created six months before Tom Holland made his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut in Captain America: Civil War. Obviously, Holland's main role is that of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. However, he had some impressive performances before joining the MCU, such as his role as young Thomas Nickerson in In the Heart of the Sea in 2015 (and as Lucas in the 2012 disaster film The Impossible).
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The Ron Howard movie In the Heart of the Sea did not receive the best reviews at the time of its release (it has a score of 42 percent Rotten Tomatoes score). However, critics still praised the actors' performances, including Holland's. Even if Holland wasn't the star he is today, many applauded the young actor for his on-screen talent, acting against some bigger names. Eventually, In the Heart of the Sea showcased Holland's acting skills before people started recognizing him for playing Spider-Man in the MCU.
Netflix release of In The Heart Of The Sea gives it a great chance to make up for its 2015 box office failure
The film only grossed $94 million at the box office
As briefly mentioned above, In the Heart of the Sea wasn't really a hit among critics as many had mixed feelings about it. However, the 2015 film was also a box office failure. In the Heart of the Sea grossed just over $94 million on a $100 million budget, making it officially a box office bomb despite a stellar cast and familiar story.
While In the Heart of the Sea didn't premiere the same week as some big hitters, it was surrounded by them, which may have contributed to its box office disappointment. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 was released on November 20, 2015, three weeks before the debut of the historical adventure film. More, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (one of the highest grossing films of all time) created a week later In the Heart of the Seameaning there was a lot of competition in theaters.
Based on the real-life event that inspired Moby Dick, In the Heart of the Sea is directed by Ron Howard and stars Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, first mate of the whaler Essex who must fight for his life in the middle of the ocean. when a whale destroys his ship, killing most of his crew and stranding him and a few survivors on a lifeboat. Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson also star.
- Release date
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December 11, 2015
- Runtime
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121 minutes
- Writers
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Charles Leavitt
- Studio(s)
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Warner Bros.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
