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Macbeth

Macbeth

All hail Macbeth that shall be king

2015113 minRMidcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Director
Justin Kurzel
Starring
Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Macbeth?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Macbeth streaming on Lionsgate+ via Prime Video, Prime Video and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Macbeth?

Macbeth earns 9 badges, led by Visual feast and Star-studded.

Show 1 more
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is Macbeth worth watching?

Macbeth's Midcredits score is the 69th percentile of all films, from 143K ratings across 6 sources. 59% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

69th percentile

Better received than 69% of films

71st percentile among Drama69th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)70th
Approval (how many liked it)65th

67 /100

70th percentile of all films

73rd percentile among Drama70th percentile among 2010s

Critics 71 · Audience 67

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.6 — solid but not unanimous.

59% liked it

65th percentile of all films

65th percentile among Drama65th percentile among 2010s
59% rated it 7–1041% rated it 1–6

Critics 79% · Audience 64%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 1 wins / 27 noms overall

95th percentile

143K ratings across platforms

96th percentile among Drama95th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 19% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$15M
Opening weekend$70K
Domestic gross$1.1M
Worldwide gross$16M

Returned 1.1× its budget — 88th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is visually magnificent but suffers from dialogue that is often difficult to understand.

Fans praised

  • stunning cinematography capturing bleak Scottish landscapes
  • Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard's powerfully layered performances
  • visceral, gritty brutality and atmospheric world-building

Detractors panned

  • mumbled, nearly inaudible dialogue that obscures Shakespeare's verse
  • slow, monotonous pacing and over-stylized slow-motion
  • pretentious, art-house indulgence at the expense of emotional clarity

What stands out

CinematographyDivisive90

Breathtaking Scottish landscapes, moody lighting, stunning compositions

ActingDivisive85

Fassbender and Cotillard acclaimed as powerful leads; detractors find delivery flat or monotone

AtmosphereDivisive85

Relentlessly bleak, fog-shrouded, immersive medieval world

Effects and spectacleDivisive80

Visceral, brutal battle scenes and vivid violence

Sound and musicDivisive75

Haunting, powerful score; detractors call it intrusive and monotonous

Plot and storyDivisive65

Adheres to Shakespeare but with cuts and rearrangements; some find it incoherent

PacingDivisive45

Slow, brooding build; tedious first half for many

DialogueDivisive30

Difficult to understand due to thick accents, whispering, and mumbling

Preferred by

Under-30s vs over-30s

Preferred by Under-30s

Under-30s scored it 10 points higher than over-30s.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 1 point apart
  • Critics vs users 3 points apart
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Watch experience

What is Macbeth like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Harrowing: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for a hard story that does not look away.

It is intense and leaves you haunted. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Harrowing.

Moods
DreadMelancholicTense
Heaviest: late
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Brutal · 7% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film treats Shakespeare's tragedy with gravity and visual intensity, emphasizing the psychological weight of murder and the bleakness of the Scottish landscape.
The rideThe film sustains a tense, brooding dread throughout, with the heaviest emotional toll in the final act as guilt and destruction culminate.
StructureThe story unfolds in chronological order across the play's acts, from battle to Macbeth's rise and fall.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Haunted.

The answer rests on this: Haunting · 14% of filmsDevastating · 3% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe viewer carries the weight of Macbeth's downfall and Lady Macbeth's madness, leaving a lasting sense of sorrow and tragedy.
How it ends · evidence
Tragic ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).TragedyHubris
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% (this title) · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Hubris: Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).

9% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeMacbeth's ambition and pride, spurred by prophecy, drive him to murder and tyranny, ending in his downfall – a classic hubris tragedy.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfGuiltMorality
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% (this title) · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% (this title) · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% (this title) · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Guilt · 3% of filmsAmbition · 7% of filmsGrief · 6% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Societal stakes: Consequences reach a whole social order.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film follows the corrosive guilt of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after murdering Duncan, haunted by their deeds and by their dead child, while unchecked ambition drives them deeper into tyranny.
StanceThe film presents unchecked ambition and tyranny as destructive to both the self and the kingdom, warning through Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's ruin.

The world

MedievalRuralInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral classicalAmbientSupportive music · original score
Setting11th-century Scotland, on battlefields, in castles and wild landscapes.

Content guide

Is Macbeth okay for kids?

R

Macbeth is rated R: “Rated R for strong violence and brief sexuality” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (81/100), sexual content at moderate (39/100), language at minimal (4/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (32/100) and frightening material at intense (71/100). Overall it is heavier than 40% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 12 other countries
  • UK15
  • Germany12
  • France12
  • Ireland15
  • JapanPG12
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil16
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • LTN-16
  • Poland16
  • Sweden15
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 64% of all filmsHeavier than 40% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 67%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 35%
Profanity
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 1%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 24%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 67%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is violence and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Macbeth have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Macbeth?

Cast

4 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Michael Fassbender
as Macbeth
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Marion Cotillard
as Lady Macbeth
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Paddy Considine
as Banquo
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Sean Harris
as Macduff
Jack Reynor
as Malcolm
Elizabeth Debicki
as Lady Macduff
David Thewlis
as Duncan
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
David Hayman
as Lennox
Maurice Roëves
as Menteith
Ross Anderson
as Rosse
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Macbeth?

Movies like Macbeth include Macbeth (1971), Macbeth (1948) and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). Of the 12 closest matches, most are films set in medieval times, and most are period dramas.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

William Shakespeare wrote 5 of these 12. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Macbeth?

252 other films share the rarest tag below, up against: warrior. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.