Widows (2018)
78%RT Audience Score: 61%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
18 wins & 106 nominations total
Widows rounds up a stellar ensemble for a heist thriller that mixes popcorn entertainment with a message – and marks another artistic leap for director Steve McQueen
Widows is the perfect movie for anyone who loves a good heist film, but also wants to see some badass women taking charge. The cast is amazing, and Steve McQueen’s direction is on point. Plus, it’s not just mindless action – there’s some real depth and nuance to the story. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good twisty-turny plot? Overall, Widows is a must-see for anyone who wants to see women kicking ass and taking names.
Production Company(ies)
Little Monster Films, Itinerant Films, Parkes MacDonald Image Nation
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
4845 S Ellis Ave, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence, language throughout, and some sexual content/nudity
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 8m
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Language(s):English, Spanish, Polish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 16, 2018 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 5, 2019
Genre(s)
Drama/Crime
Keyword(s)
starring Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Brian Tyree Henry, directed by Steve McQueen, written by Steve McQueen, Gillian Flynn, drama, crime, mystery, thriller, R-rated, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, box office, $42.4M, reviewed by Ben Sachs, Stephanie Zacharek, tt stern-enzi, Roxana Hadadi, Ryan Gilbey, directed by Steve McQueen, Viola Davis as Veronica, Colin Farrell as Jack Mulligan, Michelle Rodriguez as Linda, Elizabeth Debicki as Alice, Cynthia Erivo as Belle, Brian Tyree Henry as Jamal, heist, thriller, Chicago, police shootout, widows, debt, criminal activities, heist planning, ensemble cast, message, artistic leap, popcorn entertainment, aspect ratio, 2.35:1, 20th Century Fox, original language, English, runtime, 2h 8m, distributor
Worldwide gross: $75,984,700
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $89,416,801
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,074
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,751,014
US/Canada gross: $42,402,632
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $49,898,305
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,072
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,361,307
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,546,462
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 808
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $42,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $49,424,498
Production budget ranking: 805
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $26,615,092
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $13,377,211
ROI to date (est.): 18%
ROI ranking: 1,305
Colin Farrell – Jack Mulligan
Michelle Rodriguez – Linda
Elizabeth Debicki – Alice
Cynthia Erivo – Belle
Brian Tyree Henry – Jamal
Director – Steve McQueen
Producers – Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan
Writers – Steve McQueen, Gillian Flynn
Director(s)
Steve McQueen
Writer(s)
Steve McQueen, Gillian Flynn
Producer(s)
Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
18 wins & 106 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (423) | Top Critics (88) | Fresh (386) | Rotten (37)
McQueen sets a relentlessly portentous tone and employs lots of stark mise-en-scene, but all the fuss feels arbitrary here – the pulpy story simply doesn’t warrant such grave stylization.
February 24, 2020
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A thriller for modern women who identify more with the messiness of human lives than with flattened slogans about how great women, as a monolithic group, are.
March 8, 2019
Stephanie Zacharek
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A great ensemble cast, Steve McQueen lets loose on some of the formalism we’ve seen in some of his other films and, it moves really well.
March 4, 2019
tt stern-enzi
WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)
TOP CRITIC
There can be power in kindness and in camaraderie alongside crime and corruption, and that is the nuance, the depth, and the politics Widows provides.
February 7, 2019
Roxana Hadadi
Pajiba
TOP CRITIC
It would be wrong to place all the credit on the script when every element of Widows expresses character and theme with intelligence and concision.
January 26, 2019
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
It’s the dashing camerawork and broad historical awareness of Widows that makes it a truly sophisticated action film, and by far the best crime movie of 2018 so far.
December 1, 2018
Jo Livingstone
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
There’s no glamour here. No glittering red carpet wish fulfillment. This is a Chicago-set, blood-sweat-and-tears-soaked caper upon which lives depend.
May 20, 2022
Merryn Johns
Curve
McQueen has found a wonderful balance between his arthouse stylization, his mannerist craft, and something altogether new for him, making Widows rare indeed – an accessible work of art.
March 8, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
One of the years best pound-for-pound genre films, Widows is one of the most exciting, bare-knuckled heist thrillers to come along in some time.
February 11, 2022
Cory Woodroof
Williamson Home Page
The twisty-turny plot gets a little in the weeds, but the performances, including assists from Daniel Kaluuya and Brian Tyree Henry, see it through with flying colors.
September 13, 2021
Erica Ciccarone
Nashville Scene
Episode 18: The Danse Macabre
September 3, 2021 | Rating: 58/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
[A} power tale of women taking charge where men fail, but really a study in situationism, what each of us is capable of given the set of conditions.
July 30, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Milana Vujkov
Lola On Film…
Plot
“Widows” is the story of four women with nothing in common, except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, tensions build when Veronica (Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) take their fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Widows on Fresh Kernels.
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