The Highest-Grossing Western Ever Made Checks Into New Streaming Home

The Highest-Grossing Western Ever Made Checks Into New Streaming Home Image via The Weinstein Company  By  Rahul Malhotra Published 50 minutes ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread 1 Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

For the longest time, it was assumed that Westerns could only work at the box office if they were directed by Quentin Tarantino or the Coen Brothers. This was before Taylor Sheridan revitalized the dormant genre with his hit shows on Paramount+. Audiences that adore the genre now have more to look forward to, because the highest-grossing Western ever made is heading to the streamer on December 1. The movie in question, Django Unchained, is over a decade old at this point, but it remains endlessly re-watchable, like most Tarantino movies. Having debuted in 2012, the film grossed nearly $450 million worldwide, establishing itself as the single biggest hit that the genre had ever seen, as well as the biggest hit of Tarantino's career.

Django Unchained was headlined by Jamie Foxx, who played a vengeful slave on a quest to kill the evil plantation owner who killed his wife. The villain was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in a particularly nasty performance, but he was infamously snubbed at the Academy Awards. Instead, Christoph Waltz ended up winning a second Oscar for playing a dramatically different character to the one he played in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. DiCaprio would go on to win his first Oscar for Alejandro G. Iñarritu's The Revenant. Django Unchained also won in the Best Original Screenplay category, although Tarantino was snubbed for Best Director, while Foxx was snubbed in the Best Actor category.

Quentin Tarantino Still Hasn't Announced His Supposed Final Feature

The film's complicated performance during awards season could be attributed to the post-release controversy that it fueled for its depiction of racial tensions, use of racial slurs, and graphic violence — none of which, it must be said, Tarantino hadn't been criticized for already. Spike Lee was one of the film's most vocal critics, and he seemed to still hold a grudge against the movie and Tarantino as recently as this year, when he alluded to the violence in Django Unchained in the Mr. Scorsese documentary series on Apple TV. Tarantino went on to direct the movie that he describes as his favorite, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and is now busy doing everything under the sun except directing his planned final feature.

You can watch Django Unchained on Paramount+ beginning December 1, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Django Unchained

Like Follow Followed R Drama Western Release Date December 25, 2012 Runtime 165 minutes Director Quentin Tarantino Writers Quentin Tarantino Producers Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, James W. Skotchdopole, Michael Shamberg, Pilar Savone, Reginald Hudlin, Shannon McIntosh

Cast

See All

• Jamie Foxx Django Freeman
• Christoph Waltz Dr. King Schultz

With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.

Genres Drama, Western Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• Django Unchained
• Quentin Tarantino

Follow Followed Like Share Facebook X WhatsApp Threads Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email Close Thread 1 Sign in to your Collider account

We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.

Reply / Post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

Your comment has not been saved

Send confirmation email

Sort by: Popular Oldest Newest

• morbius morbius morbius #OX543582 Member since 2025-07-30 Following 0 Topics 0 Users Follow Followed 0 Followers View

  riddler in new gunn bats flick 2028

  2025-11-27 15:45:51 Upvote Downvote Reply Copy

• Terms
• Privacy
• Feedback

Recommended 17 hours ago

The 20 Most Rewatchable Horror Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked

2 hours ago

Property Brothers Say It’s Time To Retire This “Cheesy” Christmas Decor Staple

6 hours ago

Clint Eastwood’s Most Powerful War Film Explored WWII From an Unexpected Angle

5 hours ago

A Beloved Childhood Classic Is Returning With the Sequel Every Fan Wants

More from our brands

The Best Movies in Theaters Right Now

Best New Movies To Watch On Streaming Right Now

Why John Wayne Refused to Work with Clint Eastwood

15 Best Westerns on Hulu to Watch Right Now

15 Best R-Rated Western Movies of All Time

The 10 Best Western TV Shows On Netflix

Quentin Tarantino Movies, Ranked By Ranked By Box Office Receipts

What To Watch

July 20, 2025 The 72 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Trending Now Apple TV's Greatest Ever Hard Sci-Fi Masterpiece Dominates Streaming Again ‘Shrek 5’ Gets Massive Update With Major Casting Reveal The 'Legend of Zelda' Gets a Brand New Addition 1 Year Before the Live-Action Movie