An Overlooked $669,063 Action Thriller Has One Of 2025’s Best Rotten Tomatoes Score

If 2025 has shown anything, it has proven that box office take homes and Rotten Tomatoes scores often do not go hand-in-hand. Some of the year’s best films by Tomatometers have been less of a hit at the box office.

Take Bring Her Back, for example. The anticipated horror return of the Philippou brothers was highly anticipated and ended up well-liked by most critics, scoring a Certified Fresh 89% Tomatometer. But ultimately, so few people saw it, as the film had only a $22.8 million gross worldwide.

On the other hand, some films with lesser critical response have done incredibly well at the box office. A Minecraft Movie and Jurassic World: Rebirth have Tomatometers of 47% and 52%, respectively, but are both in the top 10 highest-grossing movies of the year.

A recent release’s box office versus critical disparity is particularly notable. Despite great reviews, the film has been slow to catch steam at the box office.

40 Acres Has One Of The Best Rotten Tomatoes Scores This Year

91% Tomatometer Vs. 92% Popcornmeter

40 Acres may not be a film people have heard about a lot, but it is one of the best-rated movies of the year. The sci-fi thriller tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world in which a Black Canadian family descended from the American Civil War has to defend their farmland when a group of cannibals wants to seize their resources.

40 Acres is directed by R.T. Thorne, who is most experienced in helming television episodes. The cast is led by Danielle Deadwyler, who also starred in the thriller The Woman in the Yard earlier this year. The supporting cast includes Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Leenah Robinson, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, and Jaeda LeBlanc.

The movie has quietly become one of the best-rated films of the year. 40 Acres has a 91% Tomatometer from Rotten Tomatoes critics, and an even higher 92% Popcornmeter from audiences.

This high score includes a 7 out of 10-star review from ScreenRant’s Ferdosa Abdi, who praises Deadwyler’s leading performance and the film’s story. It seems pretty commonplace in the reviews that those who have actually seen 40 Acres like or even love it.

That said, the film has failed to gain significant traction at the box office. The movie had a paltry $241,296 opening, and has made $669,063 to date. Unlikely to crack $1 million, 40 Acres will not be considered a box office success.

That said, this lackluster box office should not stop thriller fans from checking out 40 Acres. Even without the box office track record to show for it, Deadwyler is one of the strongest actors of her generation. As tends to be true with other movies in her filmography, 40 Acres is worth it for Deadwyler’s performance alone.

The film also, however, boasts a fascinating storyline. It is rare to see a post-apocalyptic movie that tells a story rooted in Black history and trauma, but 40 Acres does that, and it does it well. Even with the low box office, this movie is well worth checking out.