How To Watch Ridley Scott's Napoleon At Home
Ridley Scott came, he saw, he conquered. The legendary director's "Napoleon" might not be a box office hit in the traditional sense, but it was a generally successful experiment in theatrical releases for Apple. Not only that, it might even prove to be the first of many such releases for the tech giant going forward.
"Napoleon" itself was more of a mixed bag, so far as the theatrical cut is concerned. As Chris Evangelista noted in his review for /Film, the version released in theaters plays like "a CliffsNotes tour through the life of Napoleon Bonaparte," racing through major events in the infamous French emperor and military commander's life at a breakneck speed. As for what it does leave in, well, a lot of it is not only historically inaccurate but — perhaps more importantly — it's also just less interesting than what happened in real life. (And no, I'm not just talking about #HemorrhoidGate.)
As "Napoleon" wraps up its run at the box office, Apple and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are gearing up for the film's release on digital and premium video-on-demand. The film will be made available through the major digital retailers (so the usual suspects like Vudu, Prime Video, and so forth) in more than 100 countries starting January 9, 2024, before streaming globally on Apple TV+ at a later date. [UPDATE: The theatrical cut of "Napoleon" will reach Apple TV+ on March 1, 2024.] Of course, the big question on everyone's minds is: exactly which version(s) of "Napoleon" will Apple TV+ be streaming?
No sign of a Napoleon director's cut (yet)
Few filmmakers love their director's cuts quite like Ridley Scott. More than that, few filmmakers' director's cuts have a habit of being vastly superior to the theatrical editions than Scott's do (as was the case with "Blade Runner" and especially the extended version of "Kingdom of Heaven," which some cinephiles consider Scott's masterpiece). It's why everyone's ears perked up when Scott casually mentioned that he's been putting together a four-hour-long cut of "Napoleon" for its premiere on streaming.
For those who found the theatrical iteration of "Napoleon" to be lacking (even just north of two and a half hours), this director's cut might just be the thing that gets them to change their tune about the film. The only question is, does Apple actually intend to make it available? Back in November 2023, producer Kevin J. Walsh pumped the brakes on the idea in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, stating:
"That's not official yet. The cut that is in theaters is the cut that's going to stream on Apple. Downfield, there might be another thing to look at, and we have multiple longer cuts of the movie that are beautiful. But the movie that people see in the theater is the movie that's going to stream on Apple in January."
Bear in mind that Wright didn't rule out the possibility entirely, so there's still a chance the extra, extra-long version of "Napoleon" will see the light of day sometime this year. As always, we will keep you updated as more information becomes available.