Musical biopics are typically reliable as box office draws and awards contenders. There are few things moviegoers love to see more than the life and career of a popular artist brought to life on the big screen. Recent successful examples of this formula in action include Bohemian Rhapsody and A Complete Unknown, which raked in hundreds of millions of dollars and earned numerous accolades upon release. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why 20th Century Studios was so bullish on Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned, as the film underwhelmed at the box office and wasn’t a player in this year’s Oscars race. But now it’s finding new life on streaming.
According to FlixPatrol, which measures the popularity of titles on various streaming services, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is the No. 8 movie on Disney+, beating out Rio and Ralph Breaks the Internet. It’s also a big draw on Hulu, ranking as the top film in the United States on that streaming service this week.
20th Century Studios definitely attempted to position Deliver Me from Nowhere as an awards contender, premiering the film at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival before a general theatrical release in the fall. After receiving positive but mixed reviews (61% on Rotten Tomatoes), Deliver Me from Nowhere became part of one of one of the worst Octobers at the box office in recent memory, earning only $22.6 million domestically ($45.2 million worldwide). Any Oscar hopes were quickly dashed due to the lackluster reception, though White did receive a Golden Globes nomination for his performance.
Deliver Me from Nowhere clearly didn’t have “can’t miss” buzz and word of mouth when it played in theaters, making it an easy candidate for the streaming boost. In today’s day and age, it’s easier than ever to wait for new releases to hit home media. Since Deliver Me from Nowhere wasn’t a Best Picture contender, most people felt comfortable skipping it on the big screen and made a point to catch it on streaming at a later date. If the film earned rave reviews and was considered one of the year’s best, then the box office results surely would have been different. Instead, casual audiences weren’t sure if Deliver Me from Nowhere was worth the trip to the theater, and when someone’s on the fence like that, it’s much easier to get them to push play at home.
Despite the mixed reception, Deliver Me from Nowhere is worth checking out. Like most music biopics, it’s a showcase for actors, as White and Jeremy Strong both deliver strong turns. White is obviously the star of the show, but Strong equally impresses as Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager and producer. The film’s story chronicles the making of the album Nebraska, which was a very dark and tumultuous period in Springsteen’s life. The dynamic between Springsteen and Jon gives the film a compelling emotional core that fans of the artist’s music will appreciate. Deliver Me from Nowhere doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to biopic conventions, but it’s still nice to watch the central performances.
Deliver Me from Nowhere (FlixPatrol score of 89) isn’t quite as big of a streaming hit compared to other box office disappointments, which perhaps isn’t too surprising of a development. It’s a much more niche film than something like Tron: Ares (the No. 1 movie on Disney+ with a FlixPatrol score of 399), which has eye-catching visuals and exciting sci-fi set pieces. Still, 20th Century Studios can take solace in knowing that Deliver Me from Nowhere managed to find an audience on home media. Ideally, White’s next film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, will be a huge hit at the box office and on streaming.
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