Despite being known for its huge catalog of movies, the oldest Hollywood film on Netflix is only from 1973, and it’s definitely worth streaming. Some of the best movies ever made come from long before 1973. Absolute classics like Casablanca or The Wizard of Oz are decades older than the ’70s, and even newer classics miss the cutoff, like The Godfather, which was made in 1972. None of those classics are on the biggest streaming service in the world, but there was a time when the best movies on Netflix included films that were nearly a century old.

At one point in time, Netflix was a safe haven for anyone who wanted to watch old or obscure movies. It offered a selection of films that physical video rental stores like Blockbuster or Family Video simply didn’t have the money or space to keep in stock. That was one of many reasons Netflix grew so popular in the first place, and how it ended up making a name for itself. Despite the streaming service’s roots of catering to cinephiles across America, the oldest English-language movie currently on Netflix is only 52 years old, but it’s still worth a watch half a century later.

Robert Redford & Paul Newman’s 1973 Movie The Sting Is The Oldest English-Language Movie On Netflix

A Few Bollywood Movies & A Documentary Are Older, But The Sting Is The Oldest Hollywood Movie On Netflix

As Bluesky user Will McKinley pointed out, Robert Redford and Paul Newman’s 1975 movie The Sting is the oldest English-language film on Netflix. There are a few older entries on the site, but they include six Bollywood movies filmed in Hindi, such as Khoon Khoon and Amrapali, and real-life documentary footage of World War II. In fact, the early 1970s barely have any representation on the streaming service at all: the next oldest Hollywood films on Netflix are 1975’s The Other Side of the Mountain and 1977’s Heroes. Evidently, The Sting is the most “classic” Hollywood film on the entire streaming service.

The Sting Is A Spiritual Predecessor To Ocean’s Eleven & Absolutely Worth Watching

The Sting Features An Enthralling Heist Story & Amazing Chemistry Between Redford & Newman

Though it’s the oldest movie on Netflix, The Sting is absolutely worth watching. In many ways, The Sting was the inspiration for George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s classic heist movie Ocean’s Eleven. It follows Johnny Hooker (Redford) and Henry Gondorff (Newman), two grifters who team up to scam mobster Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) as revenge for killing one of their friends. Hooker and Gondorff hatch a convoluted but utterly brilliant scheme that’s full of twists, unexpected moments, and suspenseful reveals. It’s a treat to watch all the scammers work together flawlessly and see every piece of the puzzle fall into place in one fell swoop.

Aside from its engaging and thrilling plot, there are plenty of reasons to love The Sting. Redford and Newman are an absolutely classic duo, and their chemistry in The Sting was some of the best they ever put to screen, bar only Butch Cᴀssidy and the Sundance Kid. Hooker and Gondorff seem like they’ve been friends for decades, and they have such a great teacher/student dynamic that’s enchanting to watch. On top of that, due to its 1930s setting, all the set designs, costumes, dialog, and music in The Sting are superb, and they transport audiences to a whole new time period.

Why Netflix Has So Few Older Movies Now

Original Programming Is More Profitable & More People Watch New Releases Over Classic Films

Unfortunately, there’s a fairly wide range of reasons Netflix has moved away from offering older films. The biggest reason is because Netflix has prioritized creating and housing its own original movies and shows over licensing classic films from distributors like Universal or Paramount. Since Netflix owns the rights to its original content, it can keep those projects on its site indefinitely, whereas it would have to continually pay licensing fees to offer films other companies own. It, like many things in this world, all comes down to money, and Netflix originals are simply more profitable than classic films.

On top of the allure of Netflix originals, older classics simply don’t have as much demand as new movies and shows do. When new movies and shows come out, they’re almost guaranteed to draw in millions of viewers simply by virtue of being a new project that audiences haven’t seen yet. Most people have seen a fair share of the classic movies in the world, so unless they have an errant desire to rewatch Vertigo, only a few hundred people would watch it on any given day. New movies draw in new viewers, and Netflix has seemingly decided to leave old films in the dust.