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The newest inspirational sports drama comes to theaters with the film 鈥淓ddie the Eagle,鈥� which stars Taran Egerton and Hugh Jackman.

鈥淓ddie鈥� is based on the true story of 1980s athlete Eddie Edwards, who can鈥檛 make it as a downhill skier and so decides to attempt to compete in ski jumping at the Winter Olympics.聽

The film co-stars Christopher Walken.

The genre to which 鈥淓ddie鈥� belongs, the inspirational sports film, is one that has existed for decades. Some of the most famous examples include the 1976 movie 鈥淩ocky,鈥� 1986鈥檚 鈥淗oosiers,鈥� and the 1993 movie 鈥淩udy.鈥澛�

Movies from past decades, rather than more contemporary films, often top the lists of the best inspirational sports films of all time. , for example, selected such movies as the 1994 documentary 鈥淗oop Dreams,鈥� 鈥淩ocky,鈥� and the 1980 movie 鈥淩aging Bull鈥� as some of their top sports films, while chose 鈥淗oosiers鈥� and the 1989 film 鈥淔ield of Dreams鈥� as some of his selections for the best sports movies ever.聽

Viewers have been won over by some recent sports movies, however. Within the past 10 years, there have been several box office hits that fall into this genre. This past November, the 鈥淩ocky鈥� movie 鈥淐reed鈥� became a big hit. The film 鈥�42,鈥� which came out in 2013 and told the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, also became a success at the box office.

Boxing in particular is always popular. Like "Creed,鈥� the 2010 movie 鈥淭he Fighter,鈥� which told the story of real-life boxer Micky Ward, was a financial success.聽

Like any genre, some inspirational sports films don鈥檛 succeed 鈥� the movie 鈥淩ace,鈥� which tells the story of Olympic athlete Jesse Owens and came out earlier this month, is not doing well at the box office so far, and the past couple of years have seen a string of movies that did not become big hits, including 2014鈥檚 鈥淒raft Day,鈥� "When the Game Stands Tall,鈥� and 鈥淢illion Dollar Arm.鈥�

But for those hits that did do well, why do audiences keep returning to this genre? One aspect of their potential appeal is clear: they鈥檙e about sports, and sports are popular. Look no further than football dominating in the broadcast TV ratings every year.聽

In addition, positive storylines no doubt provide an uplifting experience for moviegoers.聽

鈥淭hemes of inspiration and courage, that鈥檚 also meaningful to us,鈥� Disney president of production Sean Bailey said in . (Disney released such films as "Million Dollar Arm.") 鈥淥bviously we want to succeed financially, but it鈥檚 also meaningful to us at Disney to put movies out there with themes and ideas at their core.鈥�

However, sports movies do come with a risk today. As international box office returns become more and more important, these films that deal with US sports don鈥檛 always appeal around the world, write Todd Cunningham and Lucas Shaw of TheWrap.

鈥淏ecause even domestic hits like 鈥楳oneyball鈥� didn鈥檛 play strongly overseas, there鈥檚 extra pressure to have a story line compelling enough to convince backers that a project can appeal to non-fans,鈥� Cunningham and Shaw wrote.