Tom Hiddleston’s Death-Defying New Thriller Is An Instant Apple TV Sensation

Published Oct 16, 2026, 11:00 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.

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Tom Hiddleston's death-defying new thriller has become an instant Apple TV sensation, as the anticipated movie finally arrives on the platform. Hiddleston's best movies and TV shows in recent years have included a number of projects across various genres. While he's still best known for his role as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's also starred in The Night Manager as former military office Jonathan Pine, and in The Life of Chuck, a drama based on Stephen King's novella of the same name.

But his latest movie is one that pulls from a very real source: Tenzing. The 2026 biographical drama stars Genden Phuntsok as Tenzing Norgay, one of the first people to ever reach the top of Mount Everest. He's joined by Sir Edmund Hillary, played by Hiddleston, alongside other climbers on their expedition to the top of the mountain. In addition to Hiddleston and Phuntsok, the movie also stars Willem Dafoe as climb leader John Hunt, Caitríona Balfe as Jill Henderson, and Thinley Lhamo as Dawa. The movie was released by Apple TV today, October 16, 2026.

Hiddleston's Tenzing Has Started Its Apple TV Climb In A Big Way

Although the movie has only just been released, Tenzing is already making a quick climb up Apple TV's streaming charts. According to data from October 16, 2026, the biographical thriller is the Number 3 movie on the platform in the United States. This is made all the more impressive because of its release time: Apple TV shows and movies typically release ahead of time in the US. This means viewers could watch Tenzing starting at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT.

This means Tenzing was able to become the third most-watched movie in the US on Apple TV within six hours of release. It's an impressive feat that puts the film just below Apple TV's latest big movie, Matchbox starring John Cena, and the Halloween special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Its swift rise to the top means the film is already resonating with a large audience. It helps that reviews for Tenzing have been so positive, too, scoring a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 44 reviews as of writing.

The Biographical Thriller Is Already A Record-Setter For Hiddleston

Credit: MovieStillsDB

This Rotten Tomatoes score isn't just impressive for the movie, though. Its 98% critics score makes it Hiddleston's highest-rated film of all time, surpassing the previous record-holder of 2010's Archipelago. Much like The Last Winter, it's possible the movie ends up climbing the streaming charts all the higher in the days following its release. This data is only from its first day of performance, meaning there's plenty of time for it to surpass even more films on the platform.

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Given how well Tenzing is doing as of writing, it seems inevitable the movie will make an even bigger impression on the platform in the days and weeks to come. Its streaming takeover and critical score is a good sign for Hiddleston, making it one of his most successful movies. It's a resonant true story about perseverance, too, and one that audiences will likely continue to engage with as its time as Apple TV's fresh new movie continues.