After his breakout work in The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road, the English star quickly became a household name, and followed this up on both the big and small screens, with everything from the Venom trilogy to Netflix's Peaky Blinders. More recently, Hardy has found himself busy with the Guy Ritchie-backed Paramount+ crime drama MobLand, which returns with season 2 in September, and the hit Netflix action-thriller Havoc. Now, one of his record-setting hits is about to land on a new streamer.
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk was set in the eponymous French port town in World War II, primarily exploring the perspectives of various British soldiers in the midst of awaiting evacuation as German forces stormed through the country, while also showcasing the efforts of civilian sailors to aid in the evacuation. Hardy starred in the film as Farrier, a Royal Air Force pilot who powers through his plane's damage to try and protect those on the ground and sea.
Having hit theaters in July 2017, Dunkirk was a critical and commercial hit, and its Warner Bros. distribution would later land it a home on HBO Max upon the platform's 2020 launch. Now, nearly a decade after it hit theaters, Paramount+ has announced that the World War II thriller, which hasn't been available on streaming for some time, will be joining the platform beginning September 1.
Dunkirk Was A Record-Breaking Sensation Upon Its Release
Even before the film's release, Dunkirk was one of the most-talked-about titles for a few reasons, the most notable being that it was Nolan's first-ever true-story-based movie. Up to that point, the filmmaker had primarily been known for his blockbuster-driven fare, particularly the Dark Knight trilogy, on which he and Hardy teamed for its final chapter, and more sci-fi-driven works like The Prestige and Interstellar.
Similarly of note was the fact that Dunkirk was going to serve as Harry Styles' acting debut on the heels of One Direction's unofficial dissolution, with the musician starring as a Highlander on the ground during the eponymous evacuation. Nolan came out in a later interview revealing he was not aware of Styles' prior fame, and was won over by his audition, which went up against thousands of other actors, per the writer/director, and earned the young star solid reviews.
When it did finally release after decades of steady development from Nolan, Dunkirk also found itself on a record-breaking run. With a 92% "Certified Fresh" approval score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it tied with the future Oscar winner's 2002 Insomnia remake for the No. 5 spot of his all-time ranking on the review aggregate. Moreover, it initially set the record for the highest-grossing World War II film of all-time with its $530 million box office haul, which would later be eclipsed by Nolan himself with Oppenheimer's $983 million gross.
Dunkirk Is Joining Paramount+ At The Perfect Time
In addition to giving it a new streaming home after departing HBO Max and Netflix some time ago, Dunkirk coming to Paramount+ in September marks a perfect pairing for viewers with MobLand, as its new season debuts on September 18. Plus, with the streamer already being home to Nolan's Interstellar, it will be interesting to see if next month will have the filmmaker and Hardy dominating their Top 10 charts.
Release Date
July 21, 2017
Runtime
106 minutes
English (US) ·