In the Heart of the Sea (film)
An international co-production between the United States and Spain, the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson.[3][4] In 1850, author Herman Melville visits innkeeper Thomas Nickerson, the last survivor of the sinking of the whaleship Essex, offering money for his story.In Atacames, Ecuador, a Spanish captain tells them of the bountiful "Offshore Grounds" 2,000 miles to the west, but says a vengeful "white whale" destroyed his ship, killing six of his men.The crew abandons the sinking Essex in three whaling boats, and must sail hundreds of miles to shore with limited supplies.Chase discovers long dead corpses of earlier castaways, and the crew fears they might also die waiting for rescue.Before Benjamin Walker was set to play the Captain, other actors that were considered included Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Henry Cavill.[15] During one point of filming, the cast and crew were forced to retreat to their hotel by a storm off the Canary Islands, which turned into a rare flash flood.Hemsworth stated that to prepare for the role of starving sailors, the cast were on a diet of 500–600 calories a day to lose weight.[17] Hemsworth dropped his weight from 215 to 175 pounds (97.5 to 79.3 kg) to play Owen, saying that In the Heart of the Sea is "physically and emotionally the hardest movie that I've been a part of...[24] The film earned $3.8 million on its opening day, including $575,000 from its early Thursday night showings.[26] Many box office analysts said the low opening was because audiences' enthusiasm was focused on the arrival of Star Wars: The Force Awakens the following week.[24][27] Regarding the film's disappointing opening, Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution executive vice president said "We stand behind Ron and his vision for the story, we believe in him.The site's critical consensus reads "The admirably old-fashioned In the Heart of the Sea boasts thoughtful storytelling to match its visual panache, even if it can't claim the depth or epic sweep to which it so clearly aspires.