Tom Hanks' Space Movie Masterpiece Gets A Disappointing Official Netflix Update

Published Sep 17, 2026, 11:50 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Tom Hanks' space movie that's a certified masterpiece just got a disappointing update from Netflix that spells doom for the film. Hanks' best movies include a number of classics from a whole variety of genres that have stood the test of time. From the ups and downs of life and history depicted in Forrest Gump, to his captivating performance as a prison warden in The Green Mile, Hanks' career has been defined by memorable roles that have left audiences floored by the level of tender care put into his films.

Of course, not all of them have been walks in the park. For every A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, there's also intense thrillers like Captain Phillips and survival dramas like Cast Away. Hanks' range has followed him into the modern era of filmmaking, too, starring in everything from espionage thriller The Phoenician Scheme, to reprising his role as Woody in Toy Story 5. His presence always makes the films he stars in all the more memorable. This includes one of his most famous space movies that's still considered a highlight of his career.

Tom Hanks' Apollo 13 Remains A Classic Space Drama

That movie is Apollo 13, a 1995 drama depicting what happened aboard the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970. It tells the story of the crew of Apollo 13, whose mission was aborted due to an oxygen tank explosion that left the crew stranded in space. The crew was forced to travel around the Moon and back to Earth, but in a fashion that could have resulted in their deaths. It's a harrowing film depicting real-world events, with a core focus on the crews' survival and what they had to do in order to stay alive.

Apollo 13 was critically acclaimed upon release, the movie earning nine Oscar nominations and becoming considered one of the best movies ever made. It was also a box office smash hit, earning $355.2 million against a $52 million budget. In 2023, the movie was officially inducted into the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural significance. As the lead of the role, Hanks is recognized for his portrayal of Commander Jim Lovell, many considering it to be one of his greatest roles ever.

In addition to Hanks, the film stars Bill Paxton as Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, Kevin Bacon as backup Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, and Gary Sinise as prime Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly, the first two of whom were trapped in space with Hanks' Lovell. All were based on real astronauts, with the dramatization taking a stance of historical accuracy in its approach to the story. It's what makes the movie so memorable, but what also makes its latest update so disappointing.

Apollo 13 Is Leaving Netflix

Apollo 13 is available to watch on Netflix, making the film conveniently watchable for anyone with a subscription. However, that won't be the case for much longer: According to the streaming platform, Apollo 13 will be leaving Netflix on September 30, 2026. This disappointing update means the movie will be more difficult to stream, and means Netflix subscribers have less than two weeks to watch the movie before it's gone for good.

As of writing, the movie isn't available on any other streaming platform. This means if potential viewers want to watch the film going forward, they'll have to rent it from a digital platform or buy a copy of their own. It's a rather disappointing update for the movie, considering it's one of the strongest films in Hanks' career. But, with the movie now leaving Netflix, it leaves audiences in a position where they'll have to watch it soon, or risk not being able to see it on streaming for quite some time.