It’s been 20 years since Morgan Freeman won his first and only Oscar for his performance in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, but another older classic from the star that earned him an Oscar nomination has returned to streaming glory. Freeman stars alongside Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption, the 1994 critically acclaimed prison drama following a banker convicted of killing his wife who forms a friendship with other inmates after being sent to prison. The Shawshank Redemption is currently streaming on Peacock in the United States, where it’s become one of the most popular movies for the streamer, sitting at #5 on the platform at the time of writing. The film earned impeccable scores of 89% from critics and 98% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, but it grossed only $29 million at the box office against a $25 million budget.
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert reviewed The Shawshank Redemption five years after its release, and he spoke about the trouble the film had finding success at the box office, which he credits largely to its “terrible title.” He also highlighted the film’s lengthy runtime — audiences are more accustomed to movies longer than two hours now, but a two-and-a-half-hour movie in the mid-90s was a tough sell for audiences. It found success near the end of its box office run before it was pulled from theaters entirely, but it’s become a classic in the years since its release, consistently hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made. The film is based on Stephen King’s short novel, and Frank Darabont wrote and directed it. He returned to the world of prison dramas a few years later with The Green Mile, which stars Tom Hanks.
What Is ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ About?
The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy (Robbins), a man imprisoned at Shawshank Penitentiary for killing his wife. When he arrives, he quickly forms a bond with both Red (Freeman) and the prison warden, Norton (Bob Gunton), which allows him special privileges and duties. However, what the warden and Red don’t realize is that this is all part of an elaborate plan for Andy to escape and alert authorities on the outside to all the wrongdoing happening inside the prison’s walls. Clancy Brown also stars in The Shawshank Redemption as Captain Hadley.
The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most popular movies in the world on Peacock. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage.
