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The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera

Let the fantasy begin.

2004143 minPG-13Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Director
Joel Schumacher
Starring
Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson

The deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House causes murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Phantom of the Opera?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Phantom of the Opera streaming on Howdy via Prime Video and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

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via Prime Video

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Phantom of the Opera?

The Phantom of the Opera earns 9 badges, led by Universally Loved and Guilty pleasure.

Show 1 more
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Phantom of the Opera worth watching?

The Phantom of the Opera's Midcredits score is the 85th percentile of all films, from 437K ratings across 6 sources. 77% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

85th percentile

Better received than 85% of films

87th percentile among Drama84th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)80th
Approval (how many liked it)87th

70 /100

80th percentile of all films

83rd percentile among Drama79th percentile among 2000s

Critics 40 · Audience 73

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.6 — solid but not unanimous.

77% liked it

87th percentile of all films

89th percentile among Drama86th percentile among 2000s
77% rated it 7–1023% rated it 1–6

Critics 32% · Audience 84%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 3 Oscar noms · 6 wins / 42 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Achievement in Art Direction
  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Achievement in Cinematography

98th percentile

437K ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Drama97th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 3% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$70M
Opening weekend$4M
Domestic gross$51M
Worldwide gross$155M

Returned 2.2× its budget — 98th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps acknowledge the film's lavish production design and Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, but disagree on whether the performances and adaptation succeed.

Fans praised

  • sumptuous sets and costumes
  • Emmy Rossum's angelic voice
  • emotional acting from Gerard Butler

Detractors panned

  • Butler's weak singing voice
  • overlong runtime
  • characters lack depth

What stands out

Cinematography75

Lavish sets and visual style widely praised

Atmosphere75

Immersive operatic world

Sound and musicDivisive70

Webber's score iconic; singing quality divisive

Effects and spectacle70

Grand production values and chandelier scene

ActingDivisive55

Butler's acting praised but singing criticized; Rossum's voice commended

Pacing45

Overlong at 2.5 hours; drags in middle

CharactersDivisive45

Depth criticized by detractors, fans find emotional resonance

Originality40

Faithful adaptation of stage musical; derivative for some

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Women

Women scored it 18 points higher than men.

Critics vs users

Preferred by Users

Users scored it 22 points higher than critics.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Under-30s vs over-30s 4 points apart
  • US vs non-US 5 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Phantom of the Opera like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Moving and bittersweet: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want a story that moves you and leaves an ache.

It is intense, takes its time and leaves you bittersweet. Skip it when you want an easy night or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Moving and bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: Moods
RomanticDreadMelancholic
Heaviest: late
Register
Romantic · 8% of filmsMelodramatic · 9% of films: Heightened emotion, played large.
Told as
Frame story · 5% of films: A story told inside another — someone is recounting it.
ToneThe film plays its romantic tragedy with full sincerity, leaning into the heightened emotion and grand passion of its operatic source.
The rideThe film balances swooning romance with a sense of lurking dread, with the emotional peak in the final confrontation and aftermath.
StructureThe story is presented as a frame narrative, beginning and ending at an auction in 1919, with the main events unfolding as a flashback.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: BittersweetHaunting · 14% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film's tragic romance and the Phantom's lingering presence leave a bittersweet and haunting impression long after the credits.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% (this title) · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Obsession: A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).

9% of films fit this archetype

with Rebirth underneath

Why this archetypeA disfigured musical genius's obsessive love for a young soprano drives him to kidnap her, leading to a tragic confrontation.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfRomanticlove
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% (this title) · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3% (this title)
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Romantic love · 15% of filmsObsession · 3% of films: A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Identity · 14% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeA love triangle between Christine, Raoul, and the Phantom is driven by the Phantom's obsessive, possessive love and Christine's struggle between safety and fascination.
StanceThe film interrogates romantic love and obsession, showing how possessive love can become destructive, yet also redeeming through pity.

The world

19th centuryInstitutionalUrbanDomesticStylized realism
Orchestral classicalPopForeground music · original score · Andrew Lloyd Webber
Settingthe Paris Opera House in 1870, with its grand auditorium, backstage, and underground labyrinth
MusicBased on the famous stage musical, the score is a central, non-diegetic force driving emotion.

Content guide

Is The Phantom of the Opera okay for kids?

PG-13

The Phantom of the Opera is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for brief violent images” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (53/100), sexual content at mild (31/100), language at mild (15/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (33/100) and frightening material at moderate (58/100). Overall it is heavier than 51% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 13 other countries
  • UK12
  • Canada14A
  • AustraliaPG
  • Germany6
  • FranceU
  • Ireland12
  • South Korea12
  • Austria6
  • Denmark11
  • Netherlands6
  • Spain7
  • Switzerland6
  • Taiwan保護級
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 32% of all filmsHeavier than 51% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 57%
Sex & Nudity
Mild
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 55%
Profanity
Mild
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 6%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 56%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 70%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is frightening material, heavier than 70% of PG-13-rated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Phantom of the Opera have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Phantom of the Opera?

Cast

Gerard Butler
as The Phantom
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Emmy Rossum
as Christine
Globe nominee: Golden Globe nomination — Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Patrick Wilson
as Raoul
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Miranda Richardson
as Madame Giry
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Minnie Driver
as Carlotta
Ciarán Hinds
as Firmin
Simon Callow
as Andre
Victor McGuire
as Piangi
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Jennifer Ellison
as Meg Giry
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Murray Melvin
as Reyer

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Phantom of the Opera?

Movies like The Phantom of the Opera include The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011), Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Phantom of the Opera (1943). Of the 12 closest matches, most are stories of obsession, and half are love-triangle stories.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

7 of these 12 share its world: Paris. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Phantom of the Opera?

2.5K other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: love triangle. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.