Harry Potter Star Tom Felton's 10% RT Sci-Fi 'Altered' Finds Streaming Audience on HBO Max

Big budget franchises usually burden their stars with a lifetime of being remembered as that "one character"; for a generation, Harrison Ford is either Indiana Jones or Han Solo, and Mark Hamill will forever be Luke Skywalker. Newer stars, like Daniel Radcliffe, will forever be Harry Potter for fans, while many know Robert Pattinson mainly as Edward from Twilight. Radcliffe has done a range of movies to break that image, like Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, antagonist in The Lost City, biographical drama Kill Your Darlings, gothic horror The Woman in Black, and more. Similarly, Pattinson has played a variety of roles to distance himself from the fan-favorite vampire, like Denis Villeneuve's upcoming Dune: Part Three, Christopher Nolan's Tenet and The Odyssey, and, famously, The Batman.

Another star who's been consistently delivering movies and shows is Tom Felton, who famously played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. An entire generation sees him as the archenemy of Harry and loves him for the complex portrayal of Draco by the end of the franchise. Felton recently made a dystopian sci-fi film, Altered, where he plays an outcast fighter named Leon.

Set in an alternate world where people are divided into two types of people: biologically enhanced ones known as Genetics and the marginalized ones known as Specials. We follow a charismatic, paraplegic Special, Leon, who, along with his niece Chloe (Liza Bugulova) infiltrates the privileged Genetic District. Their goal is to locate a post-war phenomenon whose flowers have become Earth's primary energy resource. Along the way, Leon gains a plant-powered mechanical exoskeleton and fights against the system that is actively exploiting the genetic divide. Directed by Eduardo Sánchez from a script by Jamie Nash, the R-rated film failed to impress both its audiences and critics, who respectively awarded it 12% and 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the movie has finally found its audience on streaming.

'Altered' Is a Hit With Global Audiences

Following its disastrous theatrical run, Altered was picked up by VOD platforms and premium networks, and it has worked in the film's favor, as it has achieved unexpected viewership numbers. Currently, Altered is at the sixth spot on HBO Max's global top 10 list, as per FlixPatrol. It stands tall in a list including James Gunn's Superman, Beast of War, Hamnet, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Violent Night, and more.