Swiped has become an instant streaming hit on Hulu. Written and directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, the new Hulu original movie stars Lily James as Whitney Wolfe Herd, who rises from a recent graduate to a trailblazing entrepreneur, defying sexism and industry pushback to launch Bumble, a dating app that redefines the way people build connections.
Emmy nominee Lily James (Hulu’s Pam & Tommy) leads Swiped’s cast alongside Dan Stevens, Myha’la (Industry), Jackson White, Ben Schnetzer, Pierson Fodé, Ian Colletti, Mary Neely, Ana Yi Puig, Aidan Laprete, Pedro Correa, Coral Peña, Joely Fisher, Dan Bakkedahl, Ciara Bravo, Clea DuVall, Dermot Mulroney, and Lennon Parham.
Now, shortly after its release on September 19, Swiped has become an instant streaming hit, ranking first on Hulu’s Top 10 movies in the United States for today, September 22, where it has been for the past two days. It ranks above titles like Practical Magic, John Wick: Chapter 4, Bedazzled, Night at the Museum, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
It also ranks above The Devil Wears Prada, The Other Woman, World War Z, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Fear Below, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, Need for Speed, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and The Proposal.
What Swiped’s Streaming Success Means For The Movie
Swiped has ascended to the top of Hulu’s chart despite its disappointing 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics. In Screenrant’s Swiped review, Mae Abdulbaki writes, “Hulu’s conventional biopic about [the] Bumble founder doesn’t dig too deep but serves its purpose… Had the film explored its themes and Wolfe Herd’s life a bit further, we may have gotten something more complex, and yet it remains engaging.”
Despite topping Hulu’s chart, Swiped has fewer than 50 ratings from users on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t enough to qualify for an audience score. Still, based on the user-submitted reviews, audiences seem to be enjoying its entertainment value – praising its performances, messages, and feminist themes – though some found Swiped’s story to be inaccurate, overly simplified, or underwhelming.
Our Take On Swiped’s Streaming Success
The Social Network, released in 2010, started this current trend of social media and tech-centric biopics that audiences are seeing today, and set the gold standard for these types of movies with Aaron Sorkin’s sharp writing, kinetic pacing, and willingness to embrace moral ambiguity. Other strong entries in the genre include BlackBerry (2023), which leans into similarly daring choices.
By contrast, Swiped struggles to rise to this standard. While Lily James’ committed performance gives the film an edge, its glossy retelling and reluctance to embrace a more probing feminist lens leave it short of the impact it could have had.
