Netflix's Big Gamble On New Tabloid Adaptation Pays Off With Strong Rotten Tomatoes Score

Sep 05, 2026 - 01:21

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Netflix's Big Gamble On New Tabloid Adaptation Pays Off With Strong Rotten Tomatoes Score

Published Sep 4, 2026, 5:16 PM EDT

Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

Just days after debuting at the Venice International Film Festival, Netflix's new biopic Ink is receiving very strong reviews from critics.

Ink stars Jack O'Connell as Larry Lamb, who is offered a job by owner Rupert Murdoch to be the next editor of the British newspaper The Sun. Guy Pearce plays Murdoch alongside a star-studded cast of Claire Foy, Blake Harrison, Patrick Kennedy, Angus Imrie, Brian Gleeson, Bertie Carvel, Jonathan Hyde, Lucy Russell and Christopher Fulford.

The biopic is still three months away from its theatrical release, but Ink has already garnered positive reactions and earned an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, as of September 4, 2026.

Early reviews have called Ink a thrilling, gripping, funny, and thought-provoking roller coaster ride. Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter James Graham are being praised for their ability to keep viewers absorbed from start to finish, and O'Connell's performance as Lamb is a highlight. Few negative reviews focused on Boyle playing it safe and not being critical enough about the British tabloid industry.

The movie is based on Graham's play of the same name, which first launched on the West End in London in 2017 and then debuted on Broadway in New York City two years later. Bertie Carvel, who played Murdoch in both productions, won top honors at the Laurence Olivier Awards and the Tony Awards. The Broadway version also won Best Lighting Design of a Play at the Tonys.

On September 2 of this year, the cinematic adaptation of Ink was one of the featured films at the Venice International Film Festival and will also screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from September 10-20, 2026. Ink will be available in select theaters beginning December 11 and then arrive on Netflix, which is distributing the film in the United States and Latin America, on January 8, 2027.

Before Ink, Boyle was best known for directing such films as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Steve Jobs, Yesterday and 28 Years Later. He also produced Battle of the Sexes and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Over the years, the filmmaker has won several awards, including Best Director at the Oscars and Golden Globes for Slumdog Millionaire.

The cast of Ink is also filled with award winners, with O'Connell having scored the Rising Actor award at the BAFTAs and Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture with his Sinners co-stars at the Actor Awards.

Meanwhile, Pearce won in the same category at the Actor Awards for The King's Speech, and his performance in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

Only time will tell if Ink can find similar success. Netflix giving the biopic a theatrical release indicates that executives at the streamer will be putting it in contention at major awards shows like the Oscars.

Ink will be released in select theaters on Friday, December 11, 2026, and on Netflix on Friday, January 8, 2027.