Anna Hathaway as Solene in The Idea of You

The Idea of You starring Anne Hathaway becomes a streaming hit after releasing earlier this month. Directed by Michael Showalter, The Idea of You stars Hathaway as Solène, a 40-year-old single mother who finds herself in a surprising romance with Hayes (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer in a world-famous boy band. The film hit Prime Video earlier this month and earned a strong 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

New streaming data from Reelgood now reveals that The Idea of You was the third most streamed title for the week of May 2 – 8. The romantic comedy beats out the likes of Netflix titles like Baby Reindeer and A Man In Full, but falls short of Fallout and, at number one, Netflix’s Unfrosted. Check out the full top 10 chart below:

Reelgood streaming popularity chart for the week of May 2 - 8

The Idea Of You’s Positive Reception Explained

Why Anne Hathaway’s Rom-Com Is Making A Splash

While romantic comedies aren’t always successful with critics, The Idea of You‘s reviews have been generally quite positive. For the most part, critics seem to agree that Hathaway is as charming as ever as the film’s lead, with Galitzine and others members of The Idea of You‘s cast also holding his own. The film may not be groundbreaking in any major ways, but it delivers a steamy, emotional, and funny story, and much of this is likely due to Showalter’s sure hand as director.

Showalter is a proven talent in the romantic comedy genre, with his first big hit being The Big Sick in 2017. Since then, he directed episodes of Love before helming feature film The Lovebirds in 2020. He also directed Spoiler Alert in 2022. Clearly, then, Showalter has a handle on how to deliver love stories with comedic twists, and his projects tend to also have powerful emotional undercurrents.

The Idea of You‘s Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score is a strong 83%, but the audience score isn’t quite as high at 68%. Despite this, the film has clearly connected with viewers. Hathaway’s presence is probably a major reason for the movie’s streaming popularity as it’s her face that’s featured on the film’s tile on Prime Video. While the Idea of You‘s ending doesn’t really suggest a sequel is on the way, the film’s success is further proof that the romantic comedy genre is most certainly not dead.