Russell Crowe's 'The Weight' Leaves Theaters

Watch it, if you can find a theater showing it. Collider reports that "The Weight" has dropped from more than 1,500 screens to just 54 nationwide in its three-week run. The movie, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year, stars Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke and is directed by Padraic McKinley.

It's Crowe's best-reviewed movie in 27 years, according to Collider. The film holds a 94% "Certified Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest for any of his movies since Michael Mann's "The Insider" in 1999, which sits at 96%. His breakout hit "L.A. Confidential" holds a near-perfect 99%.

"The Weight turns a stripped-down tale of desperation into a gripping, hard-hitting thriller," reads the Rotten Tomatoes consensus, credited to the site. "Elevated by Ethan Hawke's magnetic performance and Padraic McKinley's assured direction."

The domestic box office has been rough. Collider reports the film has generated roughly $3.5 million domestically. That's a modest run for a movie with this kind of critical support.

Here's the irony: Crowe's other September release, the psychological drama "Unabomber" with Jacob Tremblay, has a 26% Rotten Tomatoes score but pulled in 16 million views in its first week on streaming. That number could reach 30 million when fresh figures come out this week, per Collider. So the better-reviewed movie is leaving theaters while the panned one is becoming a streaming hit.

It's a familiar pattern for Crowe. Collider notes that most of his recent work has found its audience only after hitting premium video-on-demand. That's good news for "The Weight," which should gain traction at home once it lands.

So here's the call: If you live near one of those 54 theaters, go see it this weekend. If not, wait for streaming. This is the one worth your time, even if the box office didn't agree.

• box office
• Ethan Hawke
• Padraic McKinley
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Russell Crowe
• The Weight