Hugh Jackman’s new R-rated thriller sets Rotten Tomatoes audience record for the 21st century

Hugh Jackman continues to be a Rotten Tomatoes legend with his new dark thriller.

The Oscar-nominated actor is one of those rare actors who can do everything from acting, singing and dancing. With more than three decades of experience, the X-Men hero Wolverine is his most famous role, which he portrayed for almost 24 years. Despite his long Marvel stay, the Australian actor has pursued numerous projects, ranging from horror Van Helsing for his latest biopic The song sung blue. Now Jackman joins a long list of A-list actors to tackle an iconic legend in the new film, Death of Robin Hood.

Aidan Monaghan/A24

Jackman joins Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner and Taron Egerton as one of many actors portraying the famous outlaw and archer Robin Hood. While many previous iterations are either action-packed or have elements of humor, the A24 thriller takes a more gritty approach. In fact, it is one of the rare ones Robin Hood film adaptations must be rated R. But the darker choice has worked to its advantage based on critical and audience reception.

Death of Robin Hood reviews are generally positive, earning a solid score of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes. This makes it one of the highest-rated film adaptations since the 1990s, since most Robin Hood films have been poorly received by critics, including the infamous 2018 version, which earned an abysmal 15%. Now moviegoers have responded in the same way, with the audience score landing at 67% on the site.

While far from Jackman’s highest-rated project, it certainly fares better than most Robin Hood adaptations. In terms of film, the A24 effort has the best audience score in 16 years since Crowe and Ridley Scott’s 2010 Robin Hoodwho earned 58 per cent. However, it is not enough to overtake Cary Elwes’ attempt from 1993, Robin Hood: Men in Tightswho earned 81 per cent.

Nevertheless Death of Robin Hood became the first and only film adaptation to gain fresh critics and audiences in the 21st century. It is also the second overall Robin Hood project to achieve these achievements by participating in MGM+’s television series, which earned 77% and 80%, respectively.

Most iterations celebrate the outlaw for redistributing wealth to the poor. However, the A24 iteration, based on the 17th century ballad death of robin hood, unravels the iconic hero haunted by his past actions.

Critics and audiences alike praised Jackman’s grumbling performance as the Legend, which was heavily compared to his jaded Wolverine in Logan. Michael Sarnoski’s direction and revisionist approach is also highlighted by presenting a character study rather than being action packed. Other positives include the strong supporting cast of Jodie Comer and Bill Skarsgård and the stunning visuals that complement the film’s somber tone.

Robin Hood is one of the most popular stories to adaptbut there are no other movie repeats coming up. Disney+ had originally planned a remake of the 1973 classic, but director Carlos López Estrada confirmed “unfortunately it is dead” in March 2026. Meanwhile, MGM+ renewed Robin Hood show for season 2, but there are no release details at this time.

Death of Robin Hood now playing in cinemas.

Publication date

19 June 2026

Runtime

123 minutes

Director

Michael Sarnoski

Authors

Michael Sarnoski

Manufacturers

Aaron Ryder, Andrew Swett, Alexander Black