The inner machinations of viewers’ streaming habits remain an enigma. Case in point: A film that seemed to have little cultural impact yet has stayed one of the most-watched films on Apple TV. It is currently the ninth most-streamed movie on the platform, according to Apple TV’s popularity rankings, almost two years after its release, thanks in part to the star power of Anya Taylor-Joy. The actress broke onto the scene in Netflix's The Queen's Gambit and went on to star in The Menu and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. She also voices Princess Peach in the Mario movies, which have raked in over $2 billion in total. So it's perhaps no surprise that even her less-well-known movies still have some staying power.

The Gorge is a romance sci-fi thriller mashup with some big names attached. Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller play rival snipers each tasked with defending opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. Levi Kane (Teller) is a former U.S. Marine given orders to guard the west tower, while Drasa (Joy), a covert operative from the Kremlin, is ordered to guard the east tower. Probably. However, they are explicitly commanded to never contact their partner on the other side (which they, of course, eventually break). To avoid spoiling anything, let’s just say there are some unpleasant things at the bottom of the gorge. “The world’s most dangerous secret lies between them,” the poster reads.

Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Black Phone, Sinister) directed the film, with Zach Dean (Fast X, Deadfall, The Tomorrow War) writing the screenplay. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross handled the soundtrack. It was released on Feb. 14, 2025, as a straight-to-streaming film for Apple TV. The Gorge received relatively mixed reviews, with a 57 on Metacritic and a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. Users were slightly more positive, giving it a 74% user score. While some critics praised the movie's genre mash-up and the rapport between its leads, others argued that its action moments were too predictable.

Still, despite the criticisms, one potential explanation for why the film has been a hit on Apple TV is because its central premise comes with big questions. Why are these snipers here, who is employing them, and what is in the gorge? Anya Taylor-Joy’s star power is another explanation for the film’s popularity. She is currently in Lucky, a TV crime drama that drops episodes every Wednesday. In short, if you want a hit, Taylor-Joy seems like a good casting choice.