An Overlooked Historical Epic War Movie Just Jumped To The Top Of HBO Max’s Streaming Chart

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A historical drama from 2011, set in ancient Roman Britain, is finally finding a large audience and has become a hit on HBO Max worldwide.

In the historical drama The Eagle, Channing Tatum plays Marcus Aquila, a Roman soldier, in a story set in 140 AD. While ambitious in scope, the movie wasn’t a hit with either viewers or critics when it came out.

Fifteen years after Channing Tatum starred in Magic Mike, his film The Eagle is now a hit on HBO Max. As of March 28, 2026, it’s performing well in many countries and has earned an average rating of 1.6 globally.

A historical epic from South America is proving to be a big hit on streaming services. It reached the #1 spot in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, and came in a close second in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

The Eagle has topped the charts in Mexico and Panama, reaching number one. It also achieved the number two spot in several other Central American countries including Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. The film is also popular in the Caribbean, hitting number one in the Dominican Republic and number two in both the Bahamas and Haiti.

It’s surprising to see how popular The Eagle is becoming with streaming viewers, considering the film received mostly negative reviews when it was released in 2011. It currently has a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics at the time criticizing Channing Tatumā€™s performance and Kevin Macdonaldā€™s direction. While most reviews were negative, a few did highlight the film’s impressive battle sequences.

ScreenRant’s review of The Eagle echoed other generally negative reactions to the film, describing it as a rather uninspired historical adventure. The review explained that the movie doesn’t succeed as a serious drama and isn’t exciting enough to satisfy viewers looking for action, due to its confusing plot and slow pace.

Despite a budget of $25 million, the movie The Eagle only earned $39 million in theaters, indicating it wasn’t a commercial success. While critics and general audiences didn’t respond strongly, historians were impressed. In a 2024 review, one expert praised the filmā€™s battle scenes, giving them a near-perfect accuracy score of 9 out of 10.

The film The Eagle received praise for its accurate portrayal of Roman army tactics and how they dealt with chariot attacks, making it worth watching for anyone interested in history.

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2026-03-28 22:08