At 85 years of age, Ridley Scott shows no signs of slowing down with the expensive, bombastic, and violent historical epic Napoleon on the way. The movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte will be in theaters in the US and UK on November 22nd, 2023. You can expect massive battle scenes, brutality from the director of films like Alien and Gladiator, and some Oscar nominated (probably) performances from Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine.
It’s easy to see why some are ready for Napoleon in theaters, but there’s also a pretty clear path to streaming or digital rental/purchase for those who want that instead. The good news is that you might be watching Napoleon in as little as a month from now. The bad news is that there’s only one way to do that.
Where and When to Rent Napoleon Online
For Napoleon’s theatrical distribution, Apple Original Films is working with Sony Pictures Releasing to give the 157-minute epic a full theatrical window. Apple seems to want to keep their movies in theaters for at least a month, but not too much longer than that. Under normal circumstances Napoleon would be available to rent or buy digitally as early as the end of December, through services like Amazon, Google Play, or Vudu. However, Apple is unlikely to change their current strategy of keeping their movies 100% locked into Apple TV access. In other words, don’t expect to rent or buy this movie digitally anytime soon, if you don’t have an Apple TV.
Where and When to Stream Napoleon Online
Knowing where to stream Napoleon is the easiest part of all this. It’s an Apple Original Films production, working alongside Ridley’s Scott Free Productions, so it’s going to end up on Apple TV+. There’s absolutely no doubt about this part. What we don’t know for certain is when the movie will be available there. While December 2023 is certainly possible, we think it’s far more likely that this movie will be on Apple TV+ in January or February 2024. There’s also talk that Apple TV+ will debut a four hour director’s cut of Napoleon, so look forward to that distinct possibility.
Remember that Apple TV+ offers a free seven-day trial, with subscriptions running at US $9.99 monthly or £8.99 a month for UK residents.
Will Napoleon Come to Blu-ray and DVD?
A physical media release for Napoleon is also difficult to say. Apple did support a physical disc release for their 2021 Sofia Coppola film On The Rocks, as well some of their shows, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything for Napoleon. We may get an answer when and if Apple makes some sort of announcement for the recent Martin Scorsese movie Killers of the Flower Moon.
About Napoleon
Beyond the promise of huge battlefields and recreations of some of Napoleon’s most brutal moments on his vicious rise to power, Napoleon will also detail the motivations and life of Bonaparte. Special attention is being paid to his, well, let’s just say complicated relationship with his first wife Josephine.
Again, this is a Ridley Scott movie, so expect everything in Napoleon to go as big as humanly possible. This includes visuals as much as performances and story. Audiences will have their chance to experience all of this on November 22nd.
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