Netflix has a brand new survival movie, and it didn’t take long for viewers around the world to find it. Surviving Hurricane Otis arrived on the streaming service on Oct. 23, and just one day later, it has already climbed to No. 1 on Netflix’s worldwide movie chart.
According to FlixPatrol, Surviving Hurricane Otis is the most popular movie on Netflix worldwide as of Oct. 24, sitting ahead of Animals and Armored. The film has quickly made its mark despite only being available for a single day.
‘Surviving Hurricane Otis’ Is Based on a Real Disaster
The movie centers on two estranged half-brothers, Wirpul and Candi, who are working aboard a yacht off the coast of Acapulco when a storm rapidly intensifies into a Category 5 hurricane. Suddenly, the brothers are fighting for their lives in the middle of the ocean, with only each other to rely on.
Netflix describes the film as being inspired by a true story, and the real events behind it are just as harrowing as the movie’s premise.
Surviving Hurricane Otis is inspired by the experiences of real-life sailors Marlon Valdez and Jonathan Chino, whose survival during Hurricane Otis helped provide the foundation for the movie. According to The Cinemaholic, director Jorge Michel Grau came across an article about the two men and was inspired to turn their experience into a fictionalized story.
In reality, Valdez and Chino were close friends rather than brothers, and the characters of Wirpul and Candi were created for the film. However, the two real-life survivors reportedly served as advisers on the production, helping the filmmakers and actors bring their experience to the screen.
Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco in October 2023 after rapidly intensifying into a Category 5 storm. According to What’s On Netflix, the hurricane reached peak winds of 165 mph before making landfall, devastating the city and causing widespread damage to homes, hotels, infrastructure and the power grid.
The storm also had a devastating human toll. What’s On Netflix reports that at least 52 people died and dozens more were missing, while damages were estimated at between $12 billion and $16 billion.
‘Surviving Hurricane Otis’ Is Now Streaming on Netflix
The Mexican Netflix Original was directed by Jorge Michel Grau, who also co-wrote the screenplay with José Leonor Alejandro and Venancio Villalobos. Benny Emmanuel stars as Wirpul, while Kristyan Ferrer plays Candi.
The movie runs for 1 hour and 36 minutes and is primarily a Spanish-language drama. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the film with no critic reviews and fewer than 50 audience ratings, so there isn’t enough critical or audience data yet to determine how the movie will ultimately be received.
For now, though, its Netflix performance is clear.
Surviving Hurricane Otis has gone from a brand-new release to the No. 1 movie on Netflix worldwide in just one day, making it one of the streamer’s biggest new movies to keep an eye on this weekend.
