A 2016 biographical disaster movie featuring Kate Hudson and Kurt Russell will soon exit Netflix. Based on horrifying true events, the Oscar-nominated film is a dramatized retelling of the 2010 disaster at an offshore drilling site.
Watch Deepwater Horizon before it leaves Netflix
Deepwater Horizon will not be a part of Netflix from Wednesday, July 1, 2026 (via What’s on Netflix).
It is based on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. The film draws heavily on The New York Times’ 2010 article, “Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hours,” by David Barstow, David Rohde, and Stephanie Saul.
The story centers on the offshore drilling crew members on the Deepwater Horizon rig as they face several technical problems and safety concerns. When a well blowout triggers a series of explosions, it leads to the death of several crew members. Amid the chaos, Chief Electronics Technician Michael “Mike” Williams and other crew members struggle to survive on the rig while awaiting help.
Peter Berg directed the film from a screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O’Brien, and Ethan Suplee, among others. Wahlberg also co-produced the film.
Deepwater Horizon received generally positive reviews from both critics and audiences alike. They praised its intense action sequences, realistic depiction of the disaster, and strong performances.
On Rotten Tomatoes, both critics’ and audience scores sit at 82%. Meanwhile, on IMDb, it received an average score of 7.1/10 from 200K users. Moreover, it also earned two Oscar nominations: one for Best Visual Effects and the other for Best Sound Editing.
Despite the high praise, the film had a less-than-favorable run at the box office. It ended its theatrical run with global earnings of $121.7 million against a $110 million budget.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on ComingSoon.
