The Aviator (2004)
Some men dream the future. He built it.
A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 17 December 2004 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Director | Martin Scorsese |
| Starring | Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale |
| Runtime | 170 min |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7.8/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 86% · Metacritic 77/100 · TMDB users 7.2/10 |
| Budget | $110 million |
Where to watch The Aviator
The Aviator 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 1 November 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent The Aviator on Fandango at Home. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
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What kind of watch this is
Martin Scorsese directs a 170-minute drama that follows Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947. The film tracks his rise as a producer and aviation magnate while his obsessive-compulsive disorder tightens its grip. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the man who built the future, even as the walls of his own mind began to close in. It is a portrait of ambition colliding with fragility, where the machinery of progress runs on a nervous system that cannot stop checking the locks. The scale is vast, but the focus is microscopic. You watch a legend unravel in real time.
What the critics said
Critics mostly liked it. Rotten Tomatoes reports an 86% approval rating as of January 2026, while Metacritic lands on 77 out of 100. That is solid ground, though not quite a landslide. Roger Ebert called it "one of the year's best films," a high mark that implies he found a real spark in the period detail. Sukhdev Sandhu of The Daily Telegraph agreed the film was a "gorgeous tribute," but noted it favored spectacle over substance. The consensus is that Scorsese’s direction and DiCaprio’s performance carry the weight. It is a loud, visually rich ride that leaves some wanting more heart.
How it did with audiences
The production ran $110 million, and the film eventually pulled in $214 million at the box office. That is a solid return on investment, though not the windfall the scale of the project might have suggested. On TMDB, users rate it 7.2 out of 10.
Awards
The film took home 6 major awards from 11 nominations. Cate Blanchett won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, while Robert Richardson, Thelma Schoonmaker, Sandy Powell, and Dante Ferretti collected their respective technical Oscars. It also made the National Board of Review’s Top Ten Films list.
What came next for the cast
Leonardo DiCaprio moved from Catch Me If You Can to Inception and Django Unchained. Cate Blanchett shifted from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to Thor: Ragnarok. John C. Reilly went from Gangs of New York to Guardians of the Galaxy. These shifts define their post-2004 trajectories. The credits cannot prove The Aviator caused them. They can only show what followed.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Aviator.
Read more: Sully
Sources
- The Aviator on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q201924 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Aviator (2004 film)” 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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