Russell Crowe’s Best-Reviewed Movie in 27 Years Is Officially Coming Home

6 days ago 15

Russell Crowe wears a hat and suit, looking off-camera pensively in The Weight

Published Oct 17, 2026, 10:00 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.

After three weeks in theaters that didn't yield much in the name of box-office returns, but certainly delivered much-needed publicity, the critically acclaimed new Western drama from the filmmaker chosen to direct Sicario 3 is headed home. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and was released theatrically by Vertical in September. It managed to gross a little more than $3 million over the course of its run, a figure that doesn't accurately reflect its positive reviews. In fact, the movie in question is the highest-rated title starring Russell Crowe in nearly three decades, which is certainly saying something.

Also starring Ethan Hawke, it holds a "Certified Fresh" 94% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. This is Crowe's highest Rotten Tomatoes score since the 1999 cult classic The Insider, directed by Michael Mann. That movie now holds a 96% score, while Crowe's breakout hit, L.A. Confidential, is sitting at a near-perfect 99% score. The new movie has outperformed Crowe's other critically acclaimed features such as The Nice Guys (91%), 3:10 to Yuma (89%), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (85%), and State of Play (84%).

Here's When You Can Watch the Critically Acclaimed Western Drama at Home

We're talking, of course, about The Weight, directed by the first-time feature filmmaker Padraic McKinley. The film's Rotten Tomatoes 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." McKinley has now been tapped to helm Sicario 3, which will reunite Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin. The filmmaker previously worked with Crowe on Poker Face, The Loudest Voice, and The Exorcism, and with Hawke on The Good Lord Bird. The Weight is about to hit the PVOD market, where it'll likely find a larger audience. Don't be surprised if, this time next week, it's charting alongside fellow Crowe titles such as Master and Commander, The Get Out, and Unabomber. You can watch The Weight at home beginning October 20, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.