Guy Ritchie's new action-adventure film Fountain of Youth is doing very well with audiences, even if it hasn't gotten the best reviews from critics.
Released on Apple TV+ on May 23, the film, which stars Natalie Portman and John Krasinski as siblings who collaborate to find a legendary treasure for their terminally ill mother, has received mixed reviews, but fans are showing great interest.
New data shows that the film was the top Apple TV+ movie in 99 countries, and racked up 765 million minutes of viewing time in the U.S. during its first week alone. That number is the largest first-week viewership for a movie on the platform.
Due to plot similarities to Indiana Jones, The Da Vinci Code, and National Treasure, several critics have labeled Fountain of Youth a mash-up of these stories, but it appears that the swift speed of the plot and the A-list talent drawn audiences in.
As of late June, it was the No. 2 most viewed movie on Apple TV+, according to streaming tracker FlixPatrol.
The film's early success indicates that audiences are still craving globetrotting adventure stories, especially ones they can see at home with big-name actors.
Apple TV+ adventure film 'Fountain of Youth' stayed in the top 5 of Nielsen's movie streaming chart with 315 million minutes viewed for the week https://t.co/c2AUL0YXbf pic.twitter.com/6v31qm4mqb
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 26, 2025
Critics Aren’t Impressed, But Viewers Disagree
While Fountain of Youth is drawing in some strong audience numbers in the total views category, the reviews have been much more tepid. With only a mid-30s Rotten Tomatoes score, it is one of Ritchie’s lowest-rated projects in recent years.
Essentially, critics’ complaints focused on the following observations: a predictable plot, bad dialogue, and the absence of any real emotional connection with viewers.
While not soaking-drenched with praise, there were critics who found some positive things to say about the visual style, action sequences, and overall production quality.
Some critics even offered a modest amount of praise for Portman and Krasinski's performances, but they still alluded to a safe and predictable basic plot structure.
Ritchie appears to have created a family-friendly adventure picture that is much more subdued from his normal body of work. Ritchie is most well-known for faster, edgier crime dramas such as Snatch and The Gentlemen.
To be honest, it appears Fountain of Youth has found an audience—particularly for viewers looking for harmless "family" viewing entertainment.
Thanks to a strong early performance for Apple TV+, with its audience figures being reported so early in the advertising window after its launch, we may find out even more about the film's numbers in the weeks ahead, regardless of the mixed critical response.
To an extent, it's worth remembering that not all critical reception will meet viewer expectations of a streaming hit.
