Having just officially premiered on Prime Video on September 23rd, The Love Hypothesis immediately made a remarkable leap up the global charts. In just one day, the romantic drama starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman rose to number 1 in 49 countries, becoming the top-ranked film on Prime Video globally.

According to FlixPatrol data released after its premiere, The Love Hypothesis topped the Prime Video charts in 49 countries, while in the remaining country, it also ranked in the top 3. This achievement quickly made the film one of the most notable streaming phenomena after its release.

As of September 27th, The Love Hypothesis still holds the number one spot on the global Prime Video charts, demonstrating that the film’s appeal lies not only in its impressive debut but is also continuing into its early days of release.

The Love Hypothesis is adapted from the novel of the same name by Ali Hazelwood, centering on Olive Smith (Lili Reinhart), a PhD student in biology at Stanford. In a bizarre situation, Olive needs to convince her best friend that she has a boyfriend, so she decides to enter into a fake relationship with Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman), a notoriously aloof and somewhat intimidating professor at the university.

What started as a “fake romance” quickly went off track. As Olive and Adam spent more time together, the line between acting and reality blurred. The formula of fake dating turning into real love is already familiar to romance novel readers, but when placed in an academic context, combined with the cold male lead and the intelligent, humorous female protagonist, the story still manages to create its own unique appeal.

In particular, the appearance and chemistry between Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman are considered one of the key factors contributing to the film’s popularity. Lady Geeks Media praised the pair, noting that the chemistry between the two actors even surpassed what audiences could have imagined from the promotional materials. Tom Bateman is considered especially well-suited to Adam Carlsen – a man who appears cold on the outside but hides deep longing and affection for Olive. Meanwhile, Lili Reinhart portrays Olive as adorable, humorous, natural, and relatable. Thanks to the excellent interaction between the main couple, The Love Hypothesis, despite using familiar rom-com motifs, avoids being overly sentimental.

One detail that makes The Love Hypothesis even more interesting is its origin. Ali Hazelwood’s novel originally began as a fanfiction inspired by the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren in Star Wars, before being developed into a novel published in 2021. Now, that story has been adapted into a film starring Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman.

Before its release, The Love Hypothesis already had a large fan base thanks to the appeal of the original book and its readership. But the reaction after the film’s release showed that the work didn’t just rely on the book’s name to attract audiences. International media even called it the best rom-com of the year.

Notably, the film doesn’t just focus on Adam and Olive’s romance. Beneath the sweet facade of a fake love story, it explores friendship, career ambitions, and the pressures women face in academic and scientific environments. The film successfully balances humor and romance with more serious themes without making the story feel heavy.

Source: Compiled from various sources.