Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix have reunited to make Napoleon, a two-and-a-half-hour historical epic about the legendary French emperor. This duo already teamed up before for Gladiator, where Phoenix played the despicable Roman emperor Commodus in what was a resounding success for both director and actor.
This time though, early reviews are a bit more mixed, with the critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes pointing to a movie that flashes greatness but doesn't maintain its top moments throughout the film and maybe lacks some historical accuracy. But with Napoleon getting a wide release in U.S. and U.K. theaters on November 22 American audiences in particular might have nothing better to do than to check it out over the Thanksgiving break.
But this movie is produced in part by Apple and that means Napoleon will be coming to Apple TV Plus at some point in the future. Here's when we think you'll be able to stream Napoleon at home in case you don't want to catch it in theaters.
When will Napoleon stream on Apple TV Plus?
Napoleon's streaming date is still unofficial. But since Apple Studios largely financed and produced Napoleon, we have some historical precedent that we can use to guess when it will arrive on Apple TV Plus. That's because the tech giant is treating it like a traditional theatrical release a la Killers of the Flower Moon rather than sending it straight to streaming like the Oscar-winning CODA.
Like with Killers of the Flower Moon, Apple partnered with a traditional studio (in this case Sony Pictures). The terms of those deals, as reported by the New York Times, as well as the deal for the upcoming comedic spy movie Argyelle, will prevent the films from streaming on Apple TV for at least 45 days after their wide theatrical release.
But this 45-day window doesn't guarantee that Napoleon will start streaming on Apple TV Plus on day 46. The streaming service can't have the movie until then, but Apple could continue to hold Napoleon from the streaming service whether it's still doing well in theaters or still needs to recoup its losses.
Leading into its theatrical release, Napoleon is projected to make over $24 million during its opening weekend. That's according to Deadline, which is also reporting the film's budget as a whopping $130 million.
To me, that signals that Apple might want to milk Napoleon's theatrical window for all it's worth. The earliest Napoleon can hit Apple TV Plus is January 6, 2024, but I think Apple will hold off and release Napoleon on Apple TV Plus on January 13, 2024 — the Friday of MLK Jr. Day weekend. That gives Napoleon the entire holiday season in theaters and gives Apple a nice event weekend to promote Napoleon's arrival to streaming. Plus, that's right after Oscar nominations open. Lucky 13 could be Apple's number.
