Ridley Scott’s 131-Minute Horror Sequel Is Officially Leaving Streaming

5 days ago 14

Ridley Scott on the set of Hannibal in 2001

Published Oct 18, 2026, 4:00 AM EDT

Rohan Naahar is a News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

A sequel that seemed too transgressive for the director of one of the most thematically gruesome movies ever made was a cakewalk for Ridley Scott. The filmmaker was working on Gladiator when a producer pitched him the project, and he immediately signed on, as did the Oscar-winning star of the original. However, one key member of the original's cast refused to return, and her role was recast. The movie was ultimately deemed inferior to the original, but it was a major box-office hit. It's now streaming on Peacock in the United States, but not for much longer.

It was released theatrically a few months after Gladiator became a surprise Best Picture winner at the Oscars. In its opening weekend of release, the horror sequel broke numerous box-office records. It eventually grossed more than $350 million worldwide against a reported budget of almost $90 million, falling short of Gladiator's haul but surpassing that of its predecessor. However, the reviews were mediocre, with high audience expectations being one of the reasons behind the film's lasting reputation as a letdown. Featuring Ray Liotta and Gary Oldman, the movie now holds a 39% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

Here's How Long You Have Left to Watch the Horror Sequel on Peacock

We're talking, of course, about Hannibal, the long-awaited follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs. The original remains the only horror film to win a Best Picture Oscar, and the most recent movie to win in all the "Best Five" categories — Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Julianne Moore replaced Jodie Foster in Scott's movie, while Anthony Hopkins returned as the iconic cannibalistic serial killer. A prequel, titled Red Dragon and directed by Brett Ratner, was released to moderately better reception a year later. Another prequel, titled Hannibal Rising, was released to mediocre critical and commercial response in 2007. The franchise was successfully rebooted as a television series starring Mads Mikkelsen in 2013. You can watch Hannibal on Peacock until November 1, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.