Killers of the Flower Moon (film)

Killers of the Flower Moon
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMartin Scorsese
Screenplay by
Based onKillers of the Flower Moon
by David Grann
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRodrigo Prieto
Edited byThelma Schoonmaker
Music byRobbie Robertson
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • May 20, 2023 (2023-05-20) (Cannes)
  • October 20, 2023 (2023-10-20) (United States)
Running time
206 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
Budget$200–215 million[2][3]
Box office$158.8 million[4][5]

Killers of the Flower Moon[a] is a 2023 American epic Western crime drama film co-produced and directed by Martin Scorsese, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth. It is based on the 2017 book of the same name by David Grann.[8][9] Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land. The tribal members had retained mineral rights on their reservation, but a corrupt local political boss sought to steal the wealth.[10]

Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone lead an ensemble cast, also including Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser. It is the sixth feature film collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, the tenth between Scorsese and De Niro,[11] and the first between Scorsese and both actors overall (they previously all collaborated on the 2015 short film The Audition), and the eleventh and final between Scorsese and composer Robbie Robertson, who died two months before the film's release. The film is dedicated to Robertson.[12]

Development began in March 2016 when Imperative Entertainment won the adaptation rights to the book. Scorsese and DiCaprio were attached to the film in 2017, with production expected to begin in early 2018. Following several pushbacks and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production was scheduled to start in February 2021, with Apple Studios confirmed to finance and distribute the film alongside Paramount Pictures. Principal photography ultimately took place between April and October 2021 in Osage and Washington counties, Oklahoma. The film was produced by Scorsese's Sikelia Productions and DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions, with its $200–215 million budget reportedly the largest amount ever spent on a film shoot in Oklahoma.[13]

Killers of the Flower Moon premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2023. It was theatrically released in the United States on October 20, by Paramount Pictures, before streaming on Apple TV+ on January 12, 2024. The film grossed $158 million worldwide and received critical acclaim, with praise for Scorsese's direction, screenplay, production values, editing, cinematography, musical score, and cast performances, especially DiCaprio, Gladstone, and De Niro, although it received minor criticism for its runtime. It won Best Film at the National Board of Review and was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute.[14] It was also nominated for ten Academy Awards (including Best Picture), seven Golden Globe Awards (including Best Motion Picture – Drama), nine British Academy Film Awards (including Best Film), and three SAG Awards. For her performance, Gladstone won the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress, as well as earned a nomination at the Academy Awards.

  1. ^ "'Killers of the Flower Moon' (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 31, 2023. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference FilmingStart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (March 6, 2024). "Apple's Blockbuster Gamble: Was Spending $700 Million on 'Killers of the Flower Moon', 'Napoleon' and 'Argylle' Worth It?". Variety. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Killers of the Flower Moon — Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "Killers of the Flower Moon". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 8, 2024.Edit this at Wikidata
  6. ^ Gladstone, Lily [@lilygladstone] (April 27, 2023). "❤️ 𐓨𐓣͘𐓪͘𐓬𐓘 𐓡𐓧𐓘𐓮𐓤𐓘 𐓻𐓣͘𐓤𐓘 𐓲'𐓟𐓵𐓟 Killers of the Flower Moon • Repost • @osagenews EXCLUSIVE: Apple releases three images from the set of the upcoming 'Killers of the Flower Moon' The images include the film's director, Martin Scorsese, and the three main stars, Indigenous actress Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro Read more at osagenews.org/exclusive-apple-releases-three-images-from-the-set-of-the-upcoming-killers-of-the-flower-moon/ @leonardodicaprio @martinscorsese_". Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Instagram.
  7. ^ @appletv (April 27, 2023). "𐓨𐓣͘𐓪͘𐓬𐓘 𐓡𐓧𐓘𐓮𐓤𐓘 𐓻𐓣͘𐓤𐓘 𐓲'𐓟𐓵𐓟 Killers of the Flower Moon". Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Instagram.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference WGA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Length was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference RothTells was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference CollaborationRanked was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Menta, Anna (October 20, 2023). "'Killers of the Flower Moon' Ends with a Touching Dedication to Longtime Scorsese Collaborator Robbie Robertson". Decider. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference FilmingBringsTourists was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Hammond, Pete (December 7, 2023). "AFI Awards Film Top 10: 'Barbie', 'Oppenheimer', 'Maestro', 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Among Org's Best Of 2023". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.


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