‘The Roses’ Tops Hulu Charts Despite Brutal Reviews — Here’s What Viewers Love

Hulu’s latest chart-topper isn’t a critical darling — but it is a massive hit with viewers. “The Roses,” a dark divorce comedy starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, is now the No. 1 movie on Hulu, according to the platform’s public rankings.

The film reimagines Warren Adler’s The War of the Roses and the 1989 cult-classic adaptation. Cumberbatch and Colman star as Theo and Ivy, a seemingly perfect married couple whose relationship implodes when his career collapses while hers surges.

A Star-Studded Cast Keeps Viewers Clicking Play

The Roses boasts a stacked ensemble that includes Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoë Chao, Belinda Bromilow, and Kate McKinnon. The combined comedic and dramatic power of the cast has helped drive major streaming interest — even as critics were less impressed.

Critics Weren’t Convinced — But Audiences Lean In

Following its theatrical release earlier this summer, critics labeled the comedy “overly glossy” and argued it “pales next to the original.” Despite that skepticism, the movie has found a second life online, attracting Hulu subscribers with its fast-paced chaos, high-profile leads, and contemporary spin on marital meltdown humor.

Dark comedies about relationships, particularly those that blend satire with emotional turmoil, often perform strongly on streaming — and The Roses is proving no exception.

Trending Across Other Streaming Platforms

Hulu isn’t the only service drawing attention with new releases:

• Netflix: Champagne Problems
  A holiday romance starring Minka Kelly as a business executive whose Paris work trip derails into an unexpected love story with a champagne empire heir.

• HBO Max: The Conjuring: Last Rites
  The fourth — and reportedly final — chapter in the horror franchise, featuring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga confronting a new demonic case in 1986 Pennsylvania.

• Prime Video: After the Hunt
  A psychological drama starring Julia Roberts as a professor caught in an academic scandal that threatens to expose a long-buried secret from her past. Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, and Chloë Sevigny co-star.

As competition between platforms intensifies, these trending titles reflect audiences’ shifting tastes — spanning comedy, romance, horror, and prestige drama.