Leonardo DiCaprio & Tom Hardy's Western Thriller Remains A Streaming Force To Be Reckoned With

Published Oct 2, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy's Western thriller is still a streaming force to be reckoned with, and it's already entering a new era. DiCaprio's movies stem from a whole host of genres, including a handful of Westerns. This includes Django Unchained, directed by Quentin Tarantino, and Killers of the Flower Moon, which was directed by Martin Scorsese. While Hardy hasn't been in as many Westerns, the actor has still proven himself across multiple genres. This includes the ongoing MobLand season 2 on Paramount+, which sees his an antihero fixer for a crime family.

In a more antagonistic light, Hardy portrayed John S. Fitzgerald in the 2015 Western revenge thriller The Revenant. Inspired by the true story of frontiersman Hugh Glass, the movie stars DiCaprio as Glass, who's left for dead after getting brutally injured in a bear attack. Fitzgerald is the perpetrator, not only leaving him behind, but also killing his son, Hawk, while Glass looks on. So begins a story of both survival and revenge, as Glass sets off to find civilization again so he can exact his vengeance on Fitzgerald.

The Revenant Is One Of The Best Modern Westerns

Now, The Revenant has crossed a major milestone on streaming, with its current position on HBO Max breaking a record for the film. According to data from October 2, 2026, the movie has officially spent 60 days total on the streaming service's Top 10 movies in the United States. It currently sits on the list alongside a number of other notable films, including recent releases like Backrooms and Supergirl. It shows not only how powerful the movie is, but also how well it serves as a modern Western story.

The biggest reason The Revenant is one of the best modern Westerns is because of a simple premise enhanced by complex characters. Glass isn't a saint, but his circumstances make him more sympathetic. It helps that his conflict with Hardy's character is so personal, making DiCaprio's performance and the symbolic journey he goes on all the more meaningful. The movie's high quality also explains how it was nominated for 12 Oscars, and how it won DiCaprio his first and only Best Actor Academy Award.

Why The Revenant Won't Back Down On Streaming

There are multiple key reasons why The Revenant isn't done with its streaming success. For one, the Western genre has been making a resurgence in recent years, from TV shows like Yellowstone and Landman, to attempts at showcasing the genre across film, like in Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga. But what makes The Revenant stand out so much is its dramatization as a true story. It's pulled from real-world events, but dramatized into a revenge story that helps it stand out in the genre.

With The Revenant having crossed 60 days on HBO Max, its two-month tenure at the top means it's become an important film on the platform. For US residents, this means the movie may continue to make a positive impression going forward, even after having crossed such an important milestone on the platform. With the movie continuing its positive streak, there may be even more to its success going forward, for both DiCaprio and Hardy.