37 Years Later, Eddie Murphy’s $288 Million Classic Is a Free Streaming Sensation

Eddie Murphy is considered one of the true Hollywood comedy greats, and his filmography spans several decades and countless memorable characters. From everyone’s favorite animated Donkey to the recent legacy sequel, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,on Netflix, Murphy’s impact on any film fan’s life cannot be understated. To the biggest Murphy followers, the actor’s career peak came in the 1980s, when it felt like everything he touched turned to gold. Now, 37 years after it first debuted, one of his best from the decade is back in the streaming charts.

Coming to America, a fish-out-of-water story that proved to the world that Murphy could play a romantic lead, is officially one of the ten most-streamed movies on Tubi in the U.S., at the time of writing. The film joins other eye-catching titles in the top 10, including the Dwayne Johnson-led The Rundown, Kurt Russelland Sylvester Stallone‘s Tango & Cash, Martin Scorsese‘s magnum opus Goodfellas, the iconic gangster flick Scarface, and Bruce Willis‘ The Fifth Element, which tops the current charts. With a strong 73% from critics and an even better 85% from audiences on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Coming to America is still as beloved today as it was when it arrived. For those yet to see the movie, here’s a look at the synopsis:

“Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is the prince of a wealthy African country and wants for nothing, except a wife who will love him in spite of his title. To escape an arranged marriage, Akeem flees to America accompanied by his persnickety sidekick, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), to find his queen. Disguised as a foreign student working in fast food, he romances Lisa (Shari Headley), but struggles with revealing his true identity to her and his marital intentions to his king father (James Earl Jones).”

How Did ‘Coming to America’ Perform at the Box Office?

Coming to America was a hit with critics, but did it perform well at the box office? The answer is a resounding yes, with the movie’s reported production budget of $36 million turned into a global haul of $288.8 million. Split between a domestic total of $128.1 million and a further $160.7 million from overseas markets, Coming to America‘s total revenue was enough to make it the third-highest-grossing movie of 1988 globally. Just two other movies stood in its way from that particular crown, with the hilarious Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the critically acclaimed Rain Man finishing in #2 and #1, respectively.

Coming to America is available to stream for free on Tubi.