Anne Hathaway’s Overlooked 2004 Musical Romcom Is on Prime Video Now
Unlike the actress’ pretty alike-looking story in a 2001 comedy The Princess Diaries, this fairytale turned out to be a total disaster. It’s still a beloved 2000s flick though.
With a career span of more than 2 decades, Anne Hathaway wasn’t really a stranger to purely magical roles of princesses and noble ladies in period dramas, though not all of them saved their movie from major failures.
The actress rose to stardom after securing her first ever movie role in Gary Marshall’s 2001 hit comedy drama The Princess Diaries that remains a beloved flick more than 20 years later; it was then followed by a not so successful, but still very fairytale-ish story released in 2004.
Despite its doubtful merits, the latter is currently about to get a second life as it’s just landed on Prime Video.
You Can Now Watch Ella Enchanted on Prime Video
Anne Hathaway’s fans or just those who miss that 2000s’ romcom vibe might be delighted to know that the actress’ failed jukebox musical drama Ella Enchanted is now available for watching on Prime Video.
Based on Gail Carson Levine’s 1997 novel of the same name, Ella Enchanted plunges into a pure Cinderella atmosphere as soon as it’s revealed that the story revolves around Anne Hathaway’s Ella, a girl years ago visited by her fairy godmother who gifted her a talent to obey everything she’s told to do.
As Ella grows up, it becomes clear that the godmother’s generosity was more of a curse rather than a blessing, and things get even more complicated when Ella’s mother dies, which forces her to move in with the cruel Dame Olga.
Having no desire to live like this any longer, Ella decides to find a way to break the spell, embarking on a journey where she will be accompanied by handsome Prince Charmont.
Ella Enchanted Was a Big Flop in 2004 Box Office
Despite its magical premise and Anne Hathaway as a lead, Ella Enchanted notoriously underperformed in the box office worldwide and received mixed reviews from both critics and viewers.
With a budget of $31 million, the movie grossed only around $27 million, becoming one of the biggest flops among releases of that year. Additionally, the film struggled to find critics’ love too, even though usually harsh Roger Ebert confessed to considering Ella Enchanted one of the best family movies released in 2024.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds scores of 51% and 57% from critics and audiences respectively.