Russell Crowe's Gritty New R-Rated Movie Officially Claims Its Streaming Crown

Published Oct 4, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 10 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with.

Russell Crowe is an award-winning actor and filmmaker, born in New Zealand, and is known for his intense leading-man roles, including the Oscar-winning performance in Gladiator. He began acting at the age of six in Australia after moving from New Zealand and had a breakthrough in the 1992 movie Romper Stomper. The actor later transitioned to Hollywood with the western The Quick and the Dead, leading to other notable roles in titles such as A Beautiful Mind, L.A. Confidential, Cinderella Man, and The Nice Guys.

Crowe's career has been truly legendary, and now a new role is officially taking off thanks to a huge streaming success story. A new gritty R-rated movie is rising through the ranks on Starz after its release on April 10. Beast, starring Daniel MacPherson, Luke Hemsworth, and Crowe, is currently in Starz' top 10 charts for the most-watched movies. The movie, Beast, follows a once-feared MMA champion who is pulled back in for the fight of his life when his younger brother is put in danger. Reuniting with the trainer who once made him a legend, he commits to a showdown against the reigning title-holder.

Russell Crowe's Beast Is Coming For Streaming Glory On Starz

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Unfortunately, despite Crowe being attached, the MMA action thriller Beast was a major box office bomb and only grossed $1.8 million worldwide. Due to its poor box office performance, the movie transitioned to VOD and streaming platforms such as Starz, which has now revitalized the movie into a crazy success story.

When the movie initially landed on Starz, Beast became an instant number-one hit on the charts, and now it is returning as one of the most-watched movies in October so far. The movie also found success through video-on-demand sales on Prime Video and Apple TV, making the Crowe movie a redemption in spite of such a poor and underwhelming theatrical run.

The Gritty Sports Drama Marked A New High For Crowe

Despite the poor box office performance, Beast actually achieved amazing critical reception with an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences giving a rating of 74%. Critics stated, "Absolutely brilliant action drama. Outsmarts any of the boxing films coming out of Hollywood recently and reveals to the world that Daniel MacPherson is the action star that we didn't know we needed," and "With enough to offer for any viewer that enjoys these types of stories, Beast is a beast of a film that knows how to walk the familiar lines and deliver to its advantage."

Crowe is credited for writing the screenplay for Beast alongside David Frigerio, and it turns out to be the highest-rated movie with the actor attached as a writer. Crowe's 2022 movie Poker Face, where he was also credited as a writer opposite Stephen M. Coates, had a rather harsh reception after achieving a shocking 9% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 35% from audiences. It's clear Beast packed a punch and delivered what was missing from Poker Face.

Cast

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  Daniel MacPherson

  Patton

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  Bren Foster

  Xavier Grau

A commercial fisherman faces financial hardship as he seeks retribution for his brother's death, deciding to enter a high-stakes MMA match against a formidable adversary.