‘Aftersun’ Becomes Mubi’s Most Streamed Release; 10 Other Great Movies to Watch on the Arthouse Film Service
Mubi has always been a small fish in the big pond of streaming services, with a modest library of only 800+ films, many of which are artsier and/or independent than a traditional streamer may take a chance on. But Mubi has scored a big victory with one of its recent additions, the critically acclaimed “Aftersun,” which has become its most streamed movie ever globally.
The film, directed by Charlotte Wells, follows the story of a Scottish father (Paul Mescal, whose performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards) and daughter (Frankie Corio) who vacation together at a Turkish resort. The film explores the complicated relationship between the two while an older Sophie reconciles the parts of her father that she knew with those she was unaware of. It’s no wonder the movie attracted so many viewers to Mubi, especially with Mescal’s stand-out performance.
Mubi distributed the film through its in-house distribution teams, beginning in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and Latin America, and later expanding its release to Spain, France, Austria, and many more countries, for an international box office total of a little more than $3 million.
In its rise to the top of Mubi, “Aftersun” surpassed plenty of other acclaimed films, such as “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” “The Worst Person in the World,” “Drive My Car,” “Decision to Leave,” “Shiva Baby,” and “Titane,” some of which were even released during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which was an extreme boom period for total streaming. Overcoming other such esteemed films, especially ones that were released at more opportune times, shows the strength of “Aftersun” as a streaming property.
Even though “Aftersun” was able to surpass all of Mubi’s other content to become its most streamed in a relatively short time, there are still plenty of extremely worthwhile films on the arthouse streamer that any cinephile should check out. With a variety of independent and foreign titles, you’ll be sure to discover one of your new favorite movies.
Check Out 10 Other Acclaimed Films on Mubi (in alphabetical order)
‘A Human Position’
A Human Position
Long blue hours characterise summer nights in the sleepy Norwegian port town of Ålesund. Asta is a young journalist working for the local newspaper, where she is expected to report on local sports, historic preservation, and cruise ships. It is only when she stumbles across the strange story of a refugee’s forced deportation, that she finds new meaning in her work and life.
‘Charade’
Charade
After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband’s World War II cronies, Tex, Scobie and Gideon, who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines.
‘Decision to Leave’
Decision to Leave
From a mountain peak in South Korea, a man plummets to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? When detective Hae-joon arrives on the scene, he begins to suspect the dead man’s wife Seo-rae. But as he digs deeper into the investigation, he finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire.
‘El Father Plays Himself’
El Father Plays Himself
A young film director returns to Venezuela, inspired to make a film based on his father’s life in the Amazon jungle (La Fortaleza, Jorge Thielen Armand). He casts Father to play himself. What starts as an act of love and ambition — filmmaking to more deeply understand the self, and the other — spirals into a process which confronts Father’s struggles with addiction and his life devoid of his son. EL FATHER PLAYS HIMSELF holds a steady lens to the way the act of cinema unearths, binds, heals and destroys.
‘Everybody Street’
Everybody Street
Celebrated filmmaker and photographer Cheryl Dunn turns her lens on the pioneers and masters of New York street photography. Dunn profiles artists spanning six decades, including Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark, Jill Freedman, Jeff Mermelstein and Martha Cooper, revealing that these shooters are as colourful and unique as the subjects they’ve relentlessly documented. Everybody Street explores the passion that compelled Freedman to spend years riding in squad cars during the most violent years in the city; Bruce Gilden’s drive to thrust his camera in people’s faces to capture a moment; and Martha Cooper’s dedication to chasing graffiti on passing subway cars in the Bronx. The film is a definitive look at the iconic visionaries of this often imitated art form.
‘The General’
The General
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray’s beloved locomotive, ‘The General’—with Johnnie’s lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
‘Keep Punching’
Keep Punching
Prior to fighting for her country, Kirnay, a withdrawn boxer must fight the battle for her freedom.
‘Night of the Living Dead’
Night of the Living Dead
A group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse find themselves fending off a horde of recently dead, flesh-eating ghouls.
‘One More Time with Feeling’
One More Time with Feeling
Documents the writing, recording and performing of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ sixteenth studio album, Skeleton Tree.
‘Tucker and Dale vs. Evil’
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Two hillbillies are suspected of being killers by a group of paranoid college kids camping near the duo’s West Virginian cabin. As the body count climbs, so does the fear and confusion as the college kids try to seek revenge against the pair.
MUBI
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