10 Years Later, This Spider-Man Star’s World War II Epic Is Better Than Ever

If there’s one movie that proves the general audience doesn’t care about off-screen controversies, it’s Hacksaw Ridge. Time and again, folks have shown up to watch supposedly canceled people; only a few days ago, Sean Penn won the third Oscar of his career despite the numerous allegations against him. One of the biggest hits of the last decade is the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, directed by Bryan Singer. In fact, one of the most anticipated movies of 2026 is a biopic of Michael Jackson. So, if Hacksaw Ridge had underperformed at the box office, it wouldn’t have been because of director Mel Gibson‘s reputation. The movie remains popular even a decade later, and is seeing yet another surge on PVOD platforms.

Hacksaw Ridge was based on the life of the conscientious objector Desmond Doss, who refused to take up arms during World War II for religious reasons. The movie was targeted at the same demographic that helped make Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ one of the highest-grossing R-rated hits of all time. Gibson will attempt to attract them again next year with his two-part follow-up to the religious epic, titled The Resurrection of the Christ. The filmmaker controversially scored a Best Director nod at the Oscars for Hacksaw Ridge, which was interpreted as a sign that he had been forgiven for his alleged sins by the industry.

Here’s the Controversial WWII Epic That Recently Surged on Digital

The audience had already expressed its support with its dollars. Hacksaw Ridge earned more than $180 million worldwide against a reported budget of $40 million. The movie was headlined by Andrew Garfield, who had hit the big leagues a couple of years prior with The Amazing Spider-Man. He was joined by Avatar star Sam Worthington and Vince Vaughn, who was attempting to diversify from his trademark comedic roles. Hacksaw Ridge also featured Teresa Palmer and was mainly filmed in Australia. It earned six Oscar nominations in total and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 84% critics’ score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. It’s the film’s 92% audience score on the aggregator that explains its sustained success. According to FlixPatrol, Hacksaw Ridge was among the most-watched movies on the domestic iTunes chart this week. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.