Russell Crowe's Best-Reviewed Film in 27 Years Pulled From 1,400 Theaters

Oscar winner Russell Crowe delivered two back-to-back movies in September, but ironically, the better-reviewed of the two tanked at the box office while the critically panned counterpart emerged as a streaming sensation. Unabomber, the psychological drama that Crowe headlined alongside Jacob Tremblay, has defied its 26% Rotten Tomatoes score to deliver 16 million views in its first week. That number is likely to have risen to around 30 million views by the time the streamer releases fresh figures this week. Meanwhile, Crowe's theatrical release, which happens to be his best-reviewed film in nearly three decades, has all but completed its box-office run.

The movie in question premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It also features Ethan Hawke, who is coming off an Oscar nomination for his work in last year's Blue Moon, and will soon be seen in the second season of The Lowdown. Crowe, for his part, has mostly starred in small-scale genre movies over the past decade, with the occasional one breaking through at the box office. Most of his recent work, however, has found an audience only after hitting the PVOD market. That is good news for his new movie, which is expected to gain traction on the back of terrific reviews when it eventually lands on home video platforms.

Here's How Much Russell Crowe's New Western Has Grossed at the Box Office

We're talking about The Weight, the Western drama directed by Padraic McKinley. The movie began its box-office run in more than 1,500 theaters, but is now playing in only 54 nationwide. In its three-week run, the film has generated roughly $3.5 million at the domestic box office. It holds a "Certified Fresh" 94% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "The Weight turns a stripped-down tale of desperation into a gripping, hard-hitting thriller, elevated by Ethan Hawke's magnetic performance and Padraic McKinley's assured direction." This is the highest score one of Crowe's movies has earned on the aggregator since Michael Mann's The Insider, which was released in 1999. That movie sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Crowe's breakout hit, L.A. Confidential, holds a near-perfect 99% score on the aggregator.