This Controversial $175 Million Historical Epic is Now a Streaming Hit Again After 22 Years

Some movies are destined to fade from pop culture discourse once their theatrical runs end, especially when audiences have high expectations and the film ultimately fails to deliver. Yet streaming has repeatedly given older movies a second life, with projects that were once divisive suddenly finding an audience again even years after their initial release. In some cases, nostalgia is enough to bring these films back into the spotlight, while others benefit from new viewers discovering them for the first time.

That’s what’s currently happening with Troy, the 2004 historical epic that arrived with Brad Pitt in the lead as Achilles, a reported $175 million budget, and the considerable weight of adapting one of the most famous stories in ancient literature. The movie was controversial among audiences and far from universally embraced when it first hit theaters. Per FlixPatrol, though, Troy is soaring on streaming once again, and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey might be why.

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Troy Was One of 2004’s Biggest Gambles

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, Troy is a sprawling retelling of the Trojan War that stars Brad Pitt as Achilles, the legendary Greek warrior who joins the campaign against the city of Troy. The story also follows Eric Bana’s Hector, the Prince of Troy, Orlando Bloom’s Paris, and Diane Kruger’s Helen as their relationships help ignite a conflict that brings the Greeks and the Trojans into a devastating war. Based loosely on Homer’s Iliad, Troy transforms the ancient epic into a large-scale action spectacle, complete with enormous armies and elaborate sets. The production budget was reportedly between $150 and $175 million, making it one of the most expensive movies produced at the time.

However, Troy was controversial almost immediately because it wasn’t particularly faithful to the text it was adapting. Screenwriter David Benioff deliberately removed the gods from the story, meaning characters such as Achilles were presented as mortal men, rather than figures with divine intervention shaping their lives. Troy also condensed and changed elements of the 10-year Trojan War to fit into a single movie, with character fates and relationships changed for the 2004 blockbuster. Despite its enormous scale, star power, and thrilling action choreography, Troy only garnered a 53% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Troy is Now a Streaming Hit 22 Years Later

Despite all that, Troy has found itself in a different position in 2026. According to FlixPatrol, the 2004 epic has recently climbed three places on Apple TV’s Top 10 Movies chart, sitting now at #1 in the US. Its current resurgence suggests that there’s still an appetite for enormous battles, grounded storytelling, and sweeping set designs. The sword-and-sandals movie has potentially benefited from the recent release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which has brought Homer’s ancient epic back into the cultural conversation.

The Odyssey may have prompted audiences to seek out other adaptations of famous Greek mythology, and while Troy is a very different interpretation of Homer’s world, the 2004 movie’s renewed interest makes the timing particularly interesting. Sean Bean’s portrayal of Odysseus in Troy also gives audiences a fun prequel viewing experience before Matt Damon’s version takes off on his grueling journey home.

Whatever the reason may be, Troy is seemingly finding a new audience. More than 20 years after its release, the initially divisive film is suddenly being given another look, and this time, it seems viewers are much more interested in what Troy has to offer, seemingly enjoying the grittier story as cultural reevaluations take place.