Watchmen (2009)
Justice is coming to all of us. No matter what we do.
In a gritty and alternate 1985, the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown. But after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so they uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 4 March 2009 |
| Genre | Mystery, Action, Science Fiction |
| Director | Zack Snyder |
| Starring | Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson and Billy Crudup |
| Runtime | 163 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6.4/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 65% · Metacritic 56/100 · TMDB users 7.4/10 |
| Budget | $130 million |
| Box office | $185 million worldwide |
Where to watch Watchmen
Watchmen is streaming on Max ($18.49 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Max is $18.49 at list price.
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Rent or buy
You can rent Watchmen 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.
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| Argentina | Netflix $8999 ARS |
| Austria | Netflix €10.99, Canal+ |
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| Belgium | NRK |
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| Brazil | Netflix R$51.90 |
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| Chile | Netflix $7190 CLP |
| Colombia | Netflix $18900 COP |
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| Ecuador | Netflix $5.99 |
| Egypt | Netflix E£110 |
| El Salvador | Netflix |
| Germany | Netflix €15.99 |
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| Italy | Netflix €13.99 |
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| Japan | Prime Video ¥600 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
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| Luxembourg | Netflix €10.99 |
| Malta | Netflix €8.99 |
| Mexico | Netflix $269 MXN |
| Monaco | Netflix |
| Morocco | Netflix |
| Netherlands | Netflix €9.99 |
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| Panama | Netflix $5.99 |
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| Peru | Netflix S/28.90 |
| Portugal | Max €9.99 |
| Qatar | Netflix about QR32.72 |
| San Marino | Netflix |
| Saudi Arabia | Netflix ﷼35.00 |
| South Korea | Netflix ₩13500 |
| St. Lucia | Netflix about |
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| Turks & Caicos Islands | Netflix |
| United Arab Emirates | Netflix AED35.00 |
| Uruguay | Netflix about $U481 |
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What kind of watch this is
Zack Snyder’s 2009 film takes the comic book rules and throws them into a political vacuum. It is 163 minutes long, which is a commitment, but the pacing treats the clock as a weapon. The mystery is not who killed the hero, but whether the remaining ones are worth saving. Billy Crudup’s Dr. Manhattan offers a cold, detached lens on a world that is already burning. It is a puzzle box wrapped in a cape, where the solution changes the weight of the question.
What the critics said
Critics received it with a mix of admiration and skepticism. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 65% approval rating as of August 2024. Metacritic assigns a 56 out of 100, which it categorizes as mixed or average. Roger Ebert praised its visceral impact, calling it a "decidedly odd visual experience." Richard Corliss from Time called it a "thing of bits and pieces," though he found those pieces "magnificent." Not everyone was sold. Philip Kennicott of The Washington Post called it a bore that sinks under its own reverence. It is a faithful adaptation.
How it did with audiences
The film cost $130 million and took in $185 million worldwide, a margin that likely made the accountants smile before the critics arrived. North America accounted for $108 million of that total, with the rest coming from international territories. On TMDB, users rate it 7.4 out of 10. For a movie that deconstructs its own genre while questioning the very idea of heroism, the numbers suggest audiences were willing to pay for the confusion.
What came next for the cast
Patrick Wilson moved from The Phantom of the Opera to Aquaman. Billy Crudup stepped out of Mission: Impossible III into Spotlight. Malin Akerman traded Harold & Kumar for Rampage. These shifts are not a map of cause and effect. They are just the next credits on a reel. The industry churns.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Watchmen.
Sources
- Watchmen on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q162182 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Watchmen (2009 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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