The Uprising Hits Streaming After Rough Theatrical Run for Garfield

Paul Greengrass and Andrew Garfield's medieval period film The Uprising has made a swift transition to premium video-on-demand, arriving on digital platforms a mere 17 days after its theatrical debut — an unusually compressed window that speaks volumes about the film's commercial fortunes. The move comes as the film's domestic theater count has collapsed from over 2,000 screens to roughly 220, a contraction of more than 90% in just two weeks.

A Difficult Theatrical Campaign

For a filmmaker of Greengrass's caliber — the architect of United 93, the Bourne sequels, and the searing docudrama Bloody Sunday — a result of this kind represents a genuine setback. His work has always occupied a particular niche: the handheld, immersive, politically urgent thriller that treats audiences as intelligent adults. But even the most accomplished directors are not immune to the particular alchemy of marketing and timing that theatrical success demands. The Uprising was reportedly burdened by a confused pre-release campaign that at one point positioned the film as a Robin Hood adaptation outright — a framing that may have done more harm than good, given the character's checkered recent history at the box office.

The Robin Hood IP, in fact, carries a peculiar cinematic curse. Ridley Scott's big-budget version with Russell Crowe, Taron Egerton's action-heavy take, and Hugh Jackman's darker character study have all underperformed since 2010. The Uprising doesn't announce itself as a Robin Hood story — though it gestures toward the legend in its final act — yet the association appears to have lingered in the public consciousness regardless.

What the Numbers Say

According to Collider, the film earned approximately $6.5 million domestically during its theatrical run — a modest figure by any standard for a wide release. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a 56% critics score, with the site's consensus noting that while the film channels genuine rage about wealth inequality through its cinéma vérité aesthetic, its blending of history and myth feels "more awkward than enlightening." The audience score sits at 65%, suggesting that those who did seek it out were somewhat more forgiving than the critical consensus would imply.

The ensemble cast — which includes Jamie Bell, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, and Jonny Lee Miller alongside Garfield — is by any measure a compelling collection of talent. Garfield in particular has shown a willingness to gravitate toward challenging, morally weighted material, a quality that defined his Oscar-nominated work in Tick, Tick... Boom! and his extraordinary turn in Hacksaw Ridge, a film that similarly found renewed life once it reached home audiences.

Digital Momentum and What Comes Next

There is, however, a more optimistic coda to this story. Early digital performance data from FlixPatrol shows The Uprising debuting at number two on the domestic iTunes chart, trailing only Coyote vs. Acme, and also registering a presence on Amazon's rankings. It is a pattern that has become increasingly familiar in the streaming era: films that struggle to find traction in multiplexes can sometimes discover the audience that eluded them theatrically once the friction of cinema-going is removed.

For Garfield, who has been navigating a fascinating mid-career phase — balancing high-profile projects with more personal, idiosyncratic choices — The Uprising represents the kind of creative risk that doesn't always pay off commercially. Fans curious about his broader artistic trajectory might also find it worth noting that he has spoken candidly about the challenges of getting unconventional projects made, and that his upcoming work alongside Claire Foy in The Magic Faraway Tree suggests he remains as eclectic in his selections as ever.

The film is also set for a theatrical release in the United Kingdom later this month, offering Greengrass's home market a chance to weigh in on a story rooted, however obliquely, in English folk mythology. Whether British audiences will respond differently to a film about peasant revolt and wealth disparity — themes that carry their own resonances across the Atlantic — remains to be seen.