September 5
‘s streaming release date has now been revealed. Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, September 5 chronicles the true story of an American sports broadcasting team as they scramble to cover the hostage crisis that unfolds during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. After a limited theatrical release in December, the movie, which stars Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Leonie Benesch, and Benjamin Walker, became available on VOD on February 4. Now, it’s set to come to streaming before it competes for Best Original Screenplay at the 2025 Oscars.
As the Oscars approach, Paramount announces that September 5 will debut on Paramount+ on Tuesday, February 25 in the U.S. and Canada. The movie’s availability on Paramount+ in other regions will be announced at a later date. September 5 landing on streaming comes just over two months after its theatrical bow and about six months after its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on August 29th, 2024.
What September 5’s Streaming Release Means For The Movie
The Film’s Critical Reception Explained
September 5 reviews have been generally glowing from critics and audiences alike, with praise aimed at the film’s intense and innovative depiction of a tragic real event. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film enjoys a critics score of 93% and an audience-driven Popcornmeter score of 90%, suggesting it worked for most viewers. Graeme Guttman’s review for ScreenRant is an outlier at only five out 10, and he took issue with the film’s lack of a clear ideological position on its subject matter:
September 5 tries to take an apolitical stance when it comes to the events at the Munich Olympics, but it forgets that being apolitical is a stance in and of itself. It presents a multidimensional conflict in a one-dimensional way, sapping the hostage situation of any context that could tip its hand at an ideology.
At the box office, September 5 grossed only $5.7 million, but box office isn’t really a fair metric by which to judge the film given it opened in only seven theaters and never played in more than 400 during its theatrical run. Clearly, September 5 is still widely unseen by general audiences, but its impending release on Paramount+ should change that. This increased exposure could lead to more support from viewers as the film heads into the Oscars, where it will be competing against Anora, The Brutalist, A Real Pain, and The Substance in the Best Original Screenplay category.
The 97th Academy Awards air at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 2.
Our Take On September 5’s Streaming Release
Why It’s Worth Watching
September 5 explores a great tragedy from a new perspective, opting for a departure from the action-thriller approach that Steven Spielberg took with Munich in 2005. While the Spielberg movie tells a story with a traditional leading man, chronicling the quest for justice following the mᴀssacre at the 1972 Olympics, September 5 takes place as the mᴀssacre is unfolding, making the entire experience a harrowing one for viewers.
Even though there are sure to be those that find fault with September 5, as Guttman did in his ScreenRant review, the craft on display and the film’s historical subject matter make it worth checking out when it lands on Paramount+. The film is obviously working with a lower budget than Spielberg was with Munich, but it makes the most of this, effectively using a contained space and relying on talented, lesser-known actors to tell its story.
Source: Paramount
