Basic Instinct (1992)
A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger.
Catherine, a novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite, becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered -- a crime she had described in her latest story.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 20 March 1992 |
| Genre | Thriller, Mystery |
| Director | Paul Verhoeven |
| Starring | Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone and George Dzundza |
| Runtime | 128 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6.1/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 57% · Metacritic 43/100 · IMDb 7.1/10 · TMDB users 7.0/10 |
| Budget | $49 million |
Where to watch Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct is streaming on Fubo in the US. It is also on Paramount+ ($13.99 a month). If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Paramount+ is $13.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 29 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent Basic Instinct on Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home, JustWatch TV Store and Spectrum On Demand. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Basic Instinct in 11 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Australia | Foxtel, ARD/ZDF, Max $15.99 AUD |
| Belgium | Netflix €10.99 |
| France | Canal+ €19.99 |
| Ireland | Skygo |
| Japan | U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Netherlands | Netflix €9.99 |
| Portugal | Filmin |
| South Korea | Watcha |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99, Filmin |
| Switzerland | Canal+ |
| United Kingdom | Skygo |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Paul Verhoeven directs this 1992 thriller with a camera that refuses to look away. Michael Douglas plays Detective Nick Curran, a man whose professional judgment keeps getting hijacked by Sharon Stone’s Catherine Tramell. She is a novelist who wrote the murder she is now suspected of committing. The film runs 128 minutes, which is enough time for the tension to curdle into something uncomfortable. It does not treat the detective as a hero, but as a man losing a battle to his own impulses. The line between attraction and investigation blurs until neither is trustworthy.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 57% as of 2022, with an average rating of 6.1. Metacritic lands on 43, a score that signals mixed or average reception. The consensus notes the film echoes Hitchcock but is undone by its plot. Janet Maslin called the results "viscerally effective," even when they don't make sense. Others were less kind. Roger Ebert compared the film to a crossword puzzle, valuable only until solved.
How it did with audiences
The budget was $49 million. It took in $353 million worldwide, a sum that turns a thriller into a financial monument. In the US and Canada, it grossed $117.7 million, debuting at number one before reclaiming the top spot in its fifth week for a four-week run. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1992 globally. Audiences on TMDB rate it 7 out of 10. The math suggests people paid to be uncomfortable.
What came next for the cast
Michael Douglas moved from Wall Street and Romancing the Stone to Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Sharon Stone traded Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol for Casino and later Catwoman. George Dzundza went from The Deer Hunter to Grey’s Anatomy. The credits do not say the film caused these shifts. They simply mark where the paths diverged.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Basic Instinct.
Sources
- Basic Instinct on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q146673 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Basic Instinct” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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