Summary
Ryan Gosling’s highly acclaimed Neil Armstrong biopicFirst Manis now streaming on Netflix, and I still can’t believe it didn’t do better at the box office when it came out in 2018.First Manreunited Gosling with director Damien Chazelle after they’d each scored the biggest hit of their respective careers withLa La Land. It was supposed to be their next blockbuster success, bringing an old-school genre (in this case, a somber historical drama, not a Golden Age musical) into the modern day. But it was nowhere near as successful as Gosling and Chazelle’s last collaboration.
A biopic of the first man to walk on the Moon first went into development in 2003, with Clint Eastwood set to direct. That incarnation of the project fell through and the movie wouldn’t come together until 2015, whenChazelle signed on to direct, Gosling signed on to star, andSpotlight’s Josh Singer signed on to pen the screenplay. AlthoughFirst Manwas widely praised by critics, it failed to strike a chord with audiences. I was surprised by how great this movie turned out, so I was even more surprised when it bombed at the box office.
First Man Is Now Streaming On Netflix: What The Movie Is About
First Man tells the surprisingly bleak life story of Neil Armstrong
As of Thursday, June 10, 2025,First Manisavailable to stream on Netflix. The film tells the life story of Neil Armstrong in the years leading up to the Apollo 11 mission. But it’s more about Armstrong’s surprisingly tragic personal life than his career as an astronaut.Long before he boarded the space shuttle to the Moon, Armstrong lost a lot of people he cared about, from colleagues who died in a professional accident to his daughter who passed away heartbreakingly young. The movie captures this tragedy in an appropriately harrowing fashion.
By the time Apollo 11 launches and Armstrong sets foot on the Moon, the tone is bittersweet. It’s a triumph for the United States, but it’s not enough to make up for everything that Armstrong has lost.First Mancould’ve just been a straightforward historical account telling the inspirational underdog story of how a NASA test pilot was plucked from obscurity to become a globally renowned icon who made history. But Chazelle and Gosling dug a lot deeper than that.First Manisn’t just about a giant leap for mankind;it’s a probing character study.
First Man’s Box Office Performance Is Still Surprising
First Man was a commercial disappointment
Just based on the fact that Gosling was in the lead role, it was Chazelle’s next movie after the resounding success ofLa La Land, and it was based on a historical figure known across the world, I would’ve expectedFirst Manto be a big hit. And then when I saw the movie and realized how great it was, I was sure it would be a box office success. But then, it flopped. According toBox Office Mojo,First Mangrossed $105,713,218 against a $59 million budget.
This isn’t necessarily a massive box office bomb or anything; it did make back its production budget. But for a movie to be considered a success, covering the exhibition fees and marketing costs, the rule of thumb is that it needs to gross 2.5 times its production budget. This means thatFirst Manwould’ve had to earn around $147.5 million just to break even. Despite positive reviews and a subject that you’d think would appeal to a mature audience,First Manunderperformed at the box office on its opening and didn’t have very good legs after that.
The underperformance ofFirst Mancan partly be attributed to the controversy surrounding the omission of the American flag. The producers announced that they wouldn’t include a scene of Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planting an American flag on the lunar surface, which prompted many U.S. politicians to disavow the film. This controversy may have caused some older patriotic American viewers – a demographic this film was counting on – to boycott the movie.
First Man Won An Academy Award After Four Nominations
It won Best Visual Effects (and deservingly so)
Despite its underperformance at the box office and the controversy surrounding its missing American flag,First Manearned four nominations at the 91st Academy Awards.It was nominated in four technical categories – Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects– and won the latter.First Manis a great movie. Gosling gives a terrific performance,Claire Foy gives a terrific performanceas Janet Armstrong, and the Moon landing sequence is truly breathtaking. If you haven’t seenFirst Man, now’s your chance to watch it on Netflix.
First Man
Cast
First Man is a biographical drama directed by Damien Chazelle, starring Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong. The film chronicles Armstrong’s life leading up to the historic Apollo 11 mission, emphasizing the personal and professional challenges he faced. Claire Foy co-stars as Armstrong’s wife, Janet, highlighting the emotional struggles behind the mission. The film offers a detailed portrayal of one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
