As unfortunate as it is,The Life of Chuck’s poor box office actually draws comparisons to another Stephen King movie from 1994. At the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, long before its theatrical release,The Life of Chuckwon the People’s Choice Award. That first ignited hope that it would be a major hit when it was released this summer.
Even thoughreviews forThe Life of Chuckwere great, withScreen Rant’s own Mae Abdulbaki giving it a score of 8 out of 10 stars, it unfortunately didn’t perform well at the box office. Still, it can’t be denied that it is a fascinating watch. Told in reverse chronological order,The Life of Chuckis an existential filmthat tells the story of a dying man’s life.
The movie is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mike Flanagan and stars Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, and many more. Because of this all-star cast and the positive reviews,The Life of Chuckhas since become a hit on streaming. This, combined with its box office underperformance, suggests thatThe Life Of Chuckis the modern-day version ofThe Shawshank Redemption, another King adaptation.
Life Of Chuck & Shawshank Redemption Were Both Box Office Bombs Despite Great Reviews
Throughout its theatrical run, which began on May 30,The Life of Chuckonly managed to gross $13 million at the worldwide box office(viaBox Office Mojo). This poor performance was definitely disheartening for fans of the short story, especially since the adaptation has been regarded as one of the best movies based on King’s work ever.
Furthermore, it’s a shame thatFlanagan didn’t earn more recognitionfor his work. Throughout his career,he has consistently proven that he has a deep understanding of King’s storiesand characters, having also directedGerald’s GameandDoctor Sleep. Despite this, he could not convince people to seeThe Life of Chuckin theaters.
SinceThe Life of Chuckbombed at the box office, it may be hard for Flanagan to make another movie based on King’s lesser-known works. However,The Shawshank Redemption, the beloved 1994 film that is also based on one of King’s short stories, suggests thatthe sentiment towardsThe Life of Chuckwill improve as time goes on.
A box office bomb is precisely whatThe Shawshank Redemptionwas when it was initially released. Despite terrific reviews,the Frank Darabont-helmed King adaptation only made $28 million at the worldwide box office. Now, because of several re-releases,The Shawshank Redemptionhas grossed $29 million globally (viaBox Office Mojo).
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Since it had a budget of $25 million,The Shawshank Redemptionlost quite a bit of money for the studio. However, over 30 years after its release,nobody ever thinks of it as a box office failure, since it has earned a reputation as one of the best movies ever. In fact, it is the highest-rated movie on IMDb, besting iconic films likeThe GodfatherandThe Dark Knight.
The Shawshank Redemptionfollows Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to life in prison after he’s wrongfully found guilty of murdering his wife, and tells the heartwarming story of the friendships he makes as he adjusts to his new life. Over the years, especially in the age of streaming,people have loved to watch (and rewatch) it, cementing it as one of the most influential movies of all time.
The Life Of Chuck Could Follow Shawshank’s Trajectory & Become A Beloved Movie Over Time
Even though it struggled at the box office, it seems like most people whowatchThe Life of Chuckend up loving it. The movie’s audience score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at 88%, which is higher than its critic score. Therefore, there’s a chance thatThe Life of Chuckwill followThe Shawshank Redemption’s trajectory and have an even better reputationin another decade or two.
LikeThe Shawshank Redemption,perhapsThe Life of Chuckwill even be regarded as one of the best movies of all time in the future. This may be a stretch, but the two films have similar themes and messages, which makes them both incredibly inspiring and uplifting. They’re universal stories about life and friendship, and that ensures multiple generations can be affected by them.
At the very least,The Life of Chuckshould be remembered as one of the best King adaptations, which will allow it to continue finding new viewers in the years to come. Its streaming success already suggests that it is a movie that people want to watch from the comfort of their homes, which is also the case withThe Shawshank Redemption.
Even though the Hiddleston-led movie wasn’t a success financially,it shouldn’t be thought of as a total failure. After all, there was an enormous amount of competition this summer. WhenThe Life of Chuckwas released, major blockbusters likeMission: Impossible - The Final ReckoningandLilo & Stitchwere still dominating the box office.
It was never going to stand a chance against movies like these, but that’s okay. It has its own merits beyond simply earning a lot of money. Over time,The Life of Chuckmay reign supreme and be remembered as one of the best movies of 2025, and perhaps even one of the greatest of all time.
The Life of Chuck
Cast
The Life of Chuck is a film exploring the life of Chuck Krantz, presented in reverse chronological order.
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy Dufresne, a banker sentenced to life in Shawshank prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. While incarcerated, he befriends fellow inmate Red and uses his financial skills to assist the corrupt warden, all while maintaining his hope and integrity.
