Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie's $110M Epic Babylon Returns to Streaming After Box Office Failure

If there's one thing Hollywood loves, it's talking about itself, making things about itself, telling everyone how important Hollywood is. And that's perfectly valid, because for over a century it's been the home of over-the-top. But few have been quite as extravagant, excessive, and deliberately exhausting as Damien Chazelle's (La La Land) film about the history of Hollywood, as he attempted to lead a super cast through the chaos of the transition from silent movies to the talkies. Now, audiences are getting the chance to experience it all over again.

After becoming one of the most notorious box-office disappointments of the last decade, Babylon has officially returned to streaming, giving Chazelle's divisive epic — and make no mistake, it is an epic — another opportunity to find an audience at home. Babylon follows an ambitious cast of characters – the silent film superstar (Brad Pitt), the young starlet (Margot Robbie), the production executive, the musical sensation, and the alluring powerhouse performer – who are striving to stay on top of the raucous 1920s Hollywood scene and maintain their relevance at a time when the industry is moving on to the next best thing.

Alongside Pitt and Robbie, the film stars Diego Calva (Narcos: Mexico) as Manny Torres, with Jean Smart (Hacks) as Elinor St. John, Jovan Adepo (3 Body Problem) as Sidney Palmer, Li Jun Li (Quantico) as Lady Fay Zhu, Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) as James McKay, and Flea (Back to the Future Part II) as Bob Levine.

Was 'Babylon' a Success?

Babylon divided critics upon release, but its reputation has steadily improved in the years since. The movie earned three Academy Award nominations, including recognition for Justin Hurwitz's score, its production design, and costume design. Financially, though, it was nothing short of a catastrophe. It was made for a reported $110 million, and that's before marketing or advertising was taken into account, but it earned only $63 million worldwide. However, its spectacular theatrical failure has increasingly become part of the movie's mythology, particularly as the film has developed a more enthusiastic following after leaving theaters.

Babylon is available to stream now.