Chris Pratt's Passengers Hits Hulu
Chris Pratt's $303 million space romance *Passengers* (2016) will stream on Hulu later this month. The film, co-starring Jennifer Lawrence, centers on two passengers who awake early from hibernation during a space voyage, sparking romance and tension as they grapple with their ship's fate.
- The screenplay for *Passengers*, written by Jon Spaihts, was highly regarded in Hollywood for years, landing on the 2007 "Black List" — an annual survey of the best-unproduced scripts. The script went through a lengthy development process before finally being made. - Upon its release, the film was met with significant controversy over its central plot point, in which Jim (Pratt) intentionally wakes up Aurora (Lawrence), effectively sentencing her to death on the ship with him. Many critics found the premise morally questionable and viewed its romantic framing as problematic. - Despite mixed reviews, the film was a financial success, grossing over $303 million worldwide against a production budget of $110 million. For their roles, Jennifer Lawrence was reportedly paid $20 million against 30% of the profit, while Chris Pratt received $12 million. - *Passengers* received two Academy Award nominations at the 89th Oscars for Best Production Design and Best Original Score by composer Thomas Newman. - The film's critical reception was notably divided between critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 30% rating from critics, while the audience score is a more positive 63%. - Director Morten Tyldum, known for the Oscar-winning film *The Imitation Game*, took on the project after Sony Pictures acquired the rights in late 2014.
