# Alexander Skarsgård’s Dark Fantasy Epic Officially Gets a Second Chance on Paramount+

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/alexander-skarsgards-dark-fantasy-epic-officially-gets-a-second-chance-on-paramount/
- Published: 2026-09-22T12:00:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-22T12:12:35+00:00
- Original publisher: Collider
- Original article: https://collider.com/the-northman-alexander-skarsgrad-anya-taylor-joy-dark-fantasy-epic-paramount-plus-streaming-success/
- Topics: Film

## Key points

- *The Northman* has become a global Paramount+ streaming hit.
- Its cinema run barely covered its reported $70 million budget.
- Strong home-viewing success has revived interest in the Viking epic.

## Summary

Robert Eggers’ 2022 dark-fantasy epic *The Northman*, starring Alexander Skarsgård, has gained a second life on streaming after modest cinema takings. The film is now the third most-watched movie globally on Paramount+, illustrating how home viewing can revive films that underperform theatrically.

The Viking revenge story earned $75 million worldwide against a reported $70 million budget, but became notably successful after moving to premium video on demand. It holds a 90% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and features Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke and Claes Bang. Its streaming resurgence comes as it competes with *World War Z*, another film whose post-release popularity helped lead to a sequel being approved.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.