Alan Ritchson and Henry Cavill’s action war film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is finding a much larger audience on Peacock than it did in theaters. The movie has surged to the top of the platform’s film chart, giving the title a new run of attention after a disappointing box office performance.
According to FlixPatrol data cited in the reference, the film stood at No. 1 on Peacock as of May 20, 2026. It moved ahead of The Secret Life of Pets, which took the No. 2 position, while other titles in the Top 10 included Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Another Man’s Wife, The Boss Baby, The Marsh King’s Daughter, The Mummy, The Day After Tomorrow, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Billy Madison.
A streaming rebound after a costly theatrical run
The film first premiered in New York on April 13, 2024, before opening nationwide in the United States on April 19. Its theatrical run did not deliver strong results, and Box Office Mojo lists worldwide earnings at roughly $29.8 million.
That performance marked it as a financial failure in cinemas, but streaming has changed the picture. The strong Peacock showing suggests that viewers are now giving the film a second chance, even after its underwhelming box office run.
Why the movie may be connecting with viewers now
Audience response has been stronger than the theatrical result might suggest. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film carries a 68% Tomatometer score, while the Popcornmeter is much higher at 91% “verified hot,” showing a clear gap between critics and general viewers.
Metacritic gives the film a 55 Metascore, which indicates “mixed or average” reviews, while users on the platform have awarded it a 6.4 score. That mix points to a movie that divided critics but still found enough support from audiences to build momentum online.
The story behind the film
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is adapted from Damien Lewis’ book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII. The film presents a highly fictionalized version of Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during Operation Postmaster, set against the backdrop of World War II.
Guy Ritchie directed the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Arash Amel. Alongside Cavill and Ritchson, the cast includes Alex Pettyfer, Eiza González, Cary Elwes, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding.
The film’s rise on Peacock highlights how streaming can reshape the fate of a title after theaters. For a movie that struggled to find an audience on the big screen, the platform’s chart-topping performance shows that the demand for Cavill and Ritchson’s action-heavy wartime story is still very much alive.
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