The Northman (2022)

The Northman is a 2022 American epic dark fantasy period action drama film directed by Robert Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón. Based on the legend of Amleth from Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus, the film follows Amleth, an exiled Viking prince who sets out on a quest to avenge the murder of his father at the hands of his uncle at the height of the Viking Age. It features an ensemble cast of Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gustav Lindh, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

Eggers and Skarsgård, who both also produced, had met to discuss possible collaborations; Eggers decided to make the film his third project after meeting with Skarsgård, who had wanted to make a Viking film for several years. Much of the cast joined in October 2019 and filming took place in locations throughout Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland from August to December 2020. The film is heavily influenced by Norse mythology.

The Northman premiered at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18, 2022, though it had already been released theatrically in some European and South American countries beginning on April 13. It was released in the United States on April 22. It received widespread critical acclaim but underperformed at the box office, grossing either $75.8 or $69.6 million on a net budget of $70 million. It later found an unexpected amount of financial success on VOD and home media, allowing it to recoup a large portion of its box office losses.