Tom Felton’s 87-Minute Sci-Fi Thriller Instantly Redeems Itself On Streaming After Quiet $346K Release

Published Sep 18, 2026, 11:19 AM EDT

Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

Tom Felton's sci-fi thriller from 2025 is surging up the streaming charts right now, even though it was a box office flop. He is best known for playing Draco Malfoy in the blockbuster Harry Potter film franchise and is currently reprising the role on Broadway in the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. But in the 14 years in between, Felton went on to appear in many other movies and shows, like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Risen, Ophelia, A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting, Fackham Hall and They Will Kill You.

Felton also starred in the 2025 sci-fi thriller Altered with Liza Bugulova, Richard Brake, Igor Jijikine, Aggy K. Adams, Sergey Tsyrulnikov and Aleksey Filimonov. Directed and written by Timo Vuorensola, the film centers on an inventor named Leon (played by Felton) who creates a technologically advanced exoskeleton suit to defend himself and other oppressed individuals against an elite class that uses genetic enhancements to build power.

Tom Felton's Altered Is One Of The Biggest Movies In The World

Altered may not have performed very well in movie theaters last year, but the sci-fi thriller is finally finding success thanks to streaming. The film is currently No. 8 on HBO Max's global Top 10 chart, behind Supergirl, Practical Magic, Violent Night, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Band of Brothers: Legacy, The 5th Wave and 3:10 to Yuma. Sniper: No Nation and Clown in a Cornfield round out the rest of the Top 10.

As of September 18, Altered is No. 1 in the Czech Republic, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia, and is also charting in Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia. The film isn't available to stream on HBO Max in the United States, but U.S.-based audiences can check out Altered on platforms like Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Plex, Fawesome and YouTube.

The Sci-Fi Thriller Flopped Hard On Its Release

Image via Well Go USA Entertainment

The current streaming success of Altered comes after it failed to make any noticeable impact at the box office. After being released in theaters in fall 2025, the film only grossed $346,774 against a reported $15 million budget. Making matters worse, it only got a limited release in the U.S. and came out on the same day as Wicked: For Good, which went on to earn $540 million, and a week before Zootopia 2, which grossed $1.86 billion.

Altered was also widely panned by critics, who gave the sci-fi thriller a 10% on Rotten Tomatoes for its allegedly poor writing and acting, and a formulaic and lackluster storyline. While critics weren't in love with Altered, audiences around the world are now able to discover one of Tom Felton's more recent films now that it's available to stream on HBO Max in multiple countries. A lot of people aren't able to travel to New York City to see him in Cursed Child, but they can see him on the small screen in Altered.