Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
The game is afoot.
There is a new criminal mastermind at large (Professor Moriarty) and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil and lack of conscience may give him an advantage over the detective.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 22 November 2011 |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Mystery |
| Director | Guy Ritchie |
| Starring | Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Noomi Rapace |
| Runtime | 129 min |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 59% · Metacritic 48/100 · TMDB users 7.1/10 |
| Budget | $125 million |
| Box office | $544 million worldwide |
Where to watch Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
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Rent or buy
You can rent Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Spectrum On Demand. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in 57 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Andorra | Netflix , Prime Video, Max |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Max |
| Argentina | Max $9590 ARS |
| Australia | Prime Video $12.99 AUD, ARD/ZDF |
| Austria | Prime Video €8.99 |
| Bahamas | Max |
| Barbados | Max |
| Belgium | Max €10.99 |
| Belize | Max |
| Bolivia | Max |
| Brazil | Max R$34.90 |
| Canada | Netflix $18.99 CAD |
| Chile | Max $9590 CLP |
| Colombia | Max $24900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Max |
| Cyprus | Netflix €8.99 |
| Denmark | Viaplay 159 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Max |
| Ecuador | Max $8.29 |
| El Salvador | Max |
| Finland | Viaplay €13.99 |
| France | Netflix €14.99, Max €10.99 |
| French Guiana | Netflix |
| French Polynesia | Netflix about |
| Germany | Prime Video €8.99 |
| Guatemala | Max |
| Guyana | Max |
| Honduras | Max |
| Iceland | Viaplay 799 kr ISK |
| India | Prime Video ₹299 |
| Ireland | Skygo, Max |
| Italy | Skygo, Now TV, Max €11.99 |
| Jamaica | Max |
| Japan | U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Liechtenstein | Prime Video |
| Luxembourg | Prime Video €8.99 |
| Mexico | Max $149 MXN |
| Monaco | Netflix , Max |
| Netherlands | Netflix €9.99 |
| New Zealand | Prime Video $8.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Max |
| Norway | Viaplay 169 kr NOK |
| Panama | Max $8.29 |
| Paraguay | Max |
| Peru | Max S/35.90 |
| Portugal | Prime Video €4.99, Max €9.99 |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99, Max €10.99 |
| St. Lucia | Max |
| Sweden | Viaplay 169 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Netflix CHF14.90, Prime Video CHF8.90 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Max |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Max |
| Türkiye | Netflix ₺259.99 |
| Ukraine | Max |
| United Kingdom | Max £9.99 GBP, Skygo |
| Uruguay | Max $U399 |
| Venezuela | Max |
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
Guy Ritchie directs this 2011 action-adventure, and the tone is loud. It is 129 minutes of kinetic energy, where the mystery serves as a pretext for the next explosion. The hook is simple: Moriarty is here, and he is not just a rival. He is an equal. That changes the stakes. The detective is no longer the smartest person in the room. He is competing for it. The film runs on adrenaline rather than nuance, which is exactly what it promises. It is a chase, not a conversation.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 60% approval rating based on 224 reviews, with an average score of 6/10. Metacritic assigns it a 48, a figure that signals mixed reception. Roger Ebert called it "high-caliber entertainment," awarding three-and-a-half stars. Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club disagreed, noting the film "aims lower" and misses the mark. Critics also debated Rachel McAdams' brief turn as Irene Adler. Some found her absence refreshing; others felt the character vanished too soon.
How it did with audiences
The budget was $125 million. It brought in $187 million in the United States and $544 million worldwide. That makes it a solid profit, though the opening day of $14.6 million was a clear step down from the first film's $24.6 million. The sequel did outgross its predecessor overseas, reaching $357 million in other territories. On TMDB, users give it a 7.1 out of 10.
What came next for the cast
Robert Downey Jr. arrived having already banked two Iron Man hits. He left to anchor the Avengers franchise through 2019. That is a trajectory, not a reaction. Jude Law traded Watson for Captain Marvel and The Grand Budapest Hotel. The credits shift, but they do not explain why. Noomi Rapace moved from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to Prometheus. Jared Harris went from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to Chernobyl. The timeline is interesting. It does not prove this film broke them.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Read more: Sherlock Holmes
Sources
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q243643 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” 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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