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The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street

Earn. Spend. Party.

2013180 minRMidcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Director
Martin Scorsese
Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Wolf of Wall Street?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Wolf of Wall Street streaming on Paramount+ and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Wolf of Wall Street?

The Wolf of Wall Street earns 17 badges, led by Top 1% of films and Modern classic.

Show 9 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Wolf of Wall Street worth watching?

The Wolf of Wall Street's Midcredits score is the 99th percentile of all films, from 6.2M ratings across 6 sources. 91% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

99th percentile

Better received than 99% of films

98th percentile among Biography99th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)97th
Approval (how many liked it)98th

81 /100

97th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Biography97th percentile among 2010s

Critics 75 · Audience 81

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

91% liked it

98th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Biography99th percentile among 2010s
91% rated it 7–109% rated it 1–6

Critics 79% · Audience 83%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 5 Oscar noms · 15 wins / 83 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Achievement in Directing
  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Motion Picture of the Year

81st percentile

6.2M ratings across platforms

61st percentile among Biography82nd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 1% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$100M
Opening weekend$18M
Domestic gross$117M
Worldwide gross$407M

Returned 4.1× its budget — 99th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film is a fast-paced, Scorsese-directed chronicle of Jordan Belfort's rise and fall, anchored by a magnetic DiCaprio performance, with explicit excess and a Goodfellas-like structure.

Fans praised

  • DiCaprio's electrifying, Oscar-worthy lead performance
  • Scorsese's relentless pacing and fast-paced storytelling
  • Snappy, hilarious dialogue and black comedy edge

Detractors panned

  • Repetitive and boring, especially after the first act
  • Unsympathetic characters and lack of moral center
  • Excessive length and self-indulgent excess

What stands out

ActingDivisive90

DiCaprio's career-best, captivating performance; strong cast improvisations

HumorDivisive85

Comedy masterpiece, hilarious and sharp

Sound and musicDivisive85

Iconic music choices like 'Gimme Shelter' complement action

DialogueDivisive80

Snappy, hilarious, and quotable

PacingDivisive75

Relentless and tight, but detractors call it overlong and repetitive

Plot and storyDivisive70

Fast-paced rise-and-fall arc, but detractors call it repetitive and draggy

CharactersDivisive55

Belfort written with depth of charm-to-collapse, but critics find others unsympathetic

OriginalityDivisive50

Seen as derivative of Goodfellas/Casino, though black comedy angle noted

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Men

Men scored it 12 points higher than women.

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

  • Under-30s vs over-30s even
  • Critics vs users even
  • US vs non-US 2 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Wolf of Wall Street like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Dark comedy: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want to laugh at things you probably shouldn't.

It is intense, never lets up and leaves you entertained.

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

What it asks of you

Nothing out of the ordinary.

What it feels like

Dark comedy.

Moods
ManicThrillingAbsurd
Heaviest: middle
Dark humor
The answer rests on this: Register
Satirical · 5% of filmsExuberant · 2% of films: Bursting with energy and joy in its own filmmaking.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneScorsese frames Belfort's excess with a comedic, knowingly ironic lens, satirizing Wall Street greed while keeping the energy manic and entertaining.
The rideThe film sustains a frenetic, high-energy party atmosphere throughout, with brief moments of comeuppance adding volatility.
StructureThe film unfolds chronologically in a conventional three-act structure, tracing Belfort's ascent, peak, and collapse.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Entertained.

FunThought-provoking
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's manic energy leaves you thoroughly entertained, but its satirical critique of greed and systemic corruption lingers as a thought-provoking indictment.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous 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).Rags
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% (this title): Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% (this title) · 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%: Hubris 1% · 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%

Rags to riches: A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition. · Rise and fall: Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).

3% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeJordan Belfort's rise from a small broker to a wealthy fraudster and his subsequent fall is a classic rags-to-riches story with a dark arc, driven by a pump-and-dump con game.

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 filmsSelfGreedPower
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% (this title): Power 2% · Corruption 3% (this title) · Greed 3% (this title) · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · 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%

Power

Greed · 3% of filmsCorruption · 3% of filmsAmbition · 7% of films
Satirizes its theme: Attacks its theme through ridicule.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film is driven by an unrelenting pursuit of money and the moral decay that accompanies unchecked excess.
StanceThe film satirizes greed by reveling in it without moralizing, letting the audience laugh at the excess while implicitly condemning it.

The world

Late 20th centuryUrbanInstitutionalDomesticStylized realism
PopRockOrchestral modernForeground music · hybrid
SettingThe excess-fueled Wall Street and Long Island boiler rooms of the late 1980s and 1990s.
MusicThe soundtrack features an eclectic mix of classic rock and hip-hop, underscoring the film's manic energy.

Content guide

Is The Wolf of Wall Street okay for kids?

R

The Wolf of Wall Street is rated R: “Rated R for sequences of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout, and for some violence” (MPAA). As of October 20, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (58/100), sexual content at severe (92/100), language at severe (94/100), drug and alcohol content at severe (96/100) and frightening material at moderate (56/100). Overall it is heavier than 97% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 43 other countries
  • UK18
  • Canada18A
  • AustraliaR 18+
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland18
  • New ZealandR18
  • JapanR18+
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil18
  • Argentina+16
  • Belgium16
  • Czechia18+
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • GreeceK18
  • Hong KongIII
  • HR16
  • Hungary16
  • ID21+
  • IndiaA
  • Israel16
  • Italy14+
  • LTN-16
  • MexicoC
  • MOD
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway15
  • PhilippinesR-18
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/16
  • RO18+
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeR21
  • SK15
  • South Africa18
  • Spain16
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland16
  • Taiwan18+
  • TH18
  • Türkiye18+
  • UA18+
Overall
Severe · all five categories
Heavier than 98% of all filmsHeavier than 97% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 33%
Sex & Nudity
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 99%
Profanity
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 97%
Alcohol & Drugs
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 99%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 38%

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

The reason to think twice is drug and alcohol content, language, and sexual content. 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 The Wolf of Wall Street have?

MovieCove's classifier found 5 depicted content warnings in The Wolf of Wall Street: Addiction or relapse (severe), plus 4 withheld here because they would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

SevereAddiction or relapse

Cast and crew

Who is in The Wolf of Wall Street?

Cast

4 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor; Leonardo DiCaprio won the Globe for this film.

Leonardo DiCaprio
as Jordan Belfort
Globe win: Golden Globe — Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or MusicalTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Jonah Hill
as Donnie Azoff
Oscar nominee: Academy Award nomination — Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Margot Robbie
as Naomi Lapaglia
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
newcomer then · star now
Matthew McConaughey
as Mark Hanna
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.
Kyle Chandler
as Agent Patrick Denham
Rob Reiner
as Max Belfort
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
Jon Bernthal
as Brad
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Jon Favreau
as Manny Riskin
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Jean Dujardin
as Jean Jacques Saurel
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Joanna Lumley
as Aunt Emma

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Wolf of Wall Street?

Movies like The Wolf of Wall Street include Gold (2016), Casino (1995) and Wall Street (1987). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films by Martin Scorsese, and most are films about high finance.

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

4 of these 12 share its story type: biopic. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Wolf of Wall Street?

997 other films share the rarest tag below, follows: con artist. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.