‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Crosses Major Global Box Office Milestone as Theatrical Run Nears End

Martin Scorsese’s epic stars Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro.

Director Martin Scorsese’s mega-budget true crime epic, Killers of the Flower Moon, has passed perhaps its last major milestone at the global box office.

Having lost a considerable number of theaters this weekend to accommodate new Thanksgiving releases, the film finished well outside the top 10 on the domestic chart.

But it’s still ticking overseas. Killers of the Flower Moon has grossed a little over $65 million stateside, and a further $86 million from international territories, for a cumulative worldwide haul of $151 million.

There’s very little chance of Killer of the Flower Moon recovering its reported $200 million budget at the box office, which means that the movie will be classified as a commercial under-performer.

However, Killers of the Flower Moon can’t be held to the same standards as regular theatrical releases, for three reasons.

First, Apple is essentially using its theatrical run as advertising for its eventual streaming debut on Apple TV+.

Second, the film has a daunting run time of nearly three and a half hours, which significantly reduced the number of shows that distributor Paramount could squeeze into a single day. And third, it’s among the most dour wide releases in recent memory.

Based on David Grann’s non-fiction novel of the same name, Killers of the Flower Moon tells the little-known true story of how a town full of white people in Oklahoma systematically oversaw the murder of the Osage community in the 1920s.

Scorsese shifted the book’s perspective, which focused on the FBI’s investigation of the crimes, to a couple at the center of the conflict.

The movie stars Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio, alongside Robert De Niro as the antagonist.

There has, however, been some controversy about the film’s portrayal of DiCaprio’s character, who is shown to be directly complicit in the murders, but also partially redeemed towards the end.

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is a Strong Oscar Contender

Killers of the Flower Moon premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews, and debuted globally a little over a month ago, grossing $45 million in its opening weekend.

It currently sits at a “certified fresh” 92% approval rating on the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with praise being directed at Gladstone’s performance and Scorsese’s direction.

The movie was produced on a reported budget of $200 million, making it Scorsese’s second film in a row, after The Irishman, to cost north of this massive number.

Apple invested a similar amount in director Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, which debuted in theaters this weekend to considerably better box office response before its eventual release on Apple TV+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.