Tom Hardy's $2.7M Prison Cult Classic Becomes HBO Max Hit 18 Years Later

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Published Jan 31, 2026, 1:30 PM EST

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

Bronson has ascended to become a major viewership draw on HBO Max almost 20 years after it first hit theaters. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, the gritty prison drama grossed $2.7 million worldwide.

Now, Bronson stands as the tenth most popular movie on HBO Max in the U.S., a significant feat for the 18-year-old movie. The film falls behind a number of more mainstream titles, including The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), 33 Photos from the Ghetto (2026), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), and John Wick (2014).

Based on the real-life figure, Bronson features Hardy starring as the titular Charles Bronson, a British criminal who adopts a violent alter ego once inside prison. The film was made on a microbudget of only $230,000, making a $2.7 million haul an impressive feat.

Also starring Kelly Adams, Luing Andrews, Katy Barker, and Gordon Brown, Bronson earned a generally positive response from critics at the time of its release in 2008. On Rotten Tomatoes, the violent drama sports a 75% critics' score, with the audience-driven Popcornmeter not far behind at 74%.

Bronson's newfound streaming popularity speaks to Hardy's enduring appeal as a leading man, as well as his penchant for choosing roles in unique, lower budget projects. The film arrived at a busy time for the actor, with RocknRolla and Sucker Punch also releasing in 2008, with Inception then arriving in 2010.

Hardy remains a reliably entertaining star, giving audiences Havoc and the Mobland TV series last year. He's also no stranger to major blockbusters, having starred in three Venom films from 2018 to 2023. With Mobland season 2 now confirmed, Hardy is poised to remain a fixture of the big screen and the small screen in the years to come.

As Hardy continues to regularly star in multiple projects every year, his screen presence ensures that smaller titles like Bronson will continue to be rediscovered years or even decades after their release. For Hardy, other projects ripe for rediscovery include movies like Warrior (2011), Locke (2013), The Drop (2014), and Legend (2015).

Despite Bronson's box office success, Hardy and Refn have yet to work together again, with the latter going on to direct movies like Drive (2011) and The Neon Demon (2016). It remains to be seen whether Hardy and Refn will ever collaborate again, but the newfound streaming success of their prison drama suggests it would be an anticipated reunion.

Release Date October 9, 2008

Runtime 92 minutes

Director Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers Brock Norman Brock

Producers Allan Niblo, James Richardson, Kate Ogborn, Nick Love, Rupert Preston, Thor Sigurjonsson, Jane Hooks, Rob Morgan, Simon Fawcett, Danny Hansford, Paul Martin, Sean Faughnan, Suzanne Alizart