Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s 1999 horror classic is dominating Paramount+ charts ahead of Halloween

“Sleepy Hollow” was a hit when it debuted in theaters on November 19, 1999, and received praise for its spooky sensibilities even though it was released weeks after the Halloween season had ended. The film, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, grossed more than $200 million at the global box office, easily making back its budget even before you factor in DVD sales (which made a lot of sense in the early 2000s).

“Sleepy Hollow” has not remained in the popular consciousness to the same extent as it existed Tim Burton’s most famous film to datebut in 2025, she’ll suddenly enjoy being back in the spotlight. It broke into the top 10 films on streaming service Paramount+ in the US on October 10, 2025 (via Flex Patrol), and it performed strongly on Pluto TV over the past week as well.

The film also returns to theaters briefly this month. If there is a Regal movie theater near you, you will likely have the option of watching “Sleepy Hollows” for Short window on October 12th. The cinema chain is hosting a special October “Screams” movie series, where all kinds of popular horror films (like “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Ring”) will be showing for a day or two at a time.

Although Depp was already a household name by the time he worked on “Sleepy Hollow,” he shot the film shortly before it became a worldwide sensation. Thanks to the 2003 film “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” This helps make his performance feel special to younger viewers, many of whom aren’t used to seeing Depp when he was still a rising star rather than a superstar resting on his laurels.

“Johnny Depp is an actor who can disappear into characters.” Roger Ebert “It’s never been so easy as in a Burton film,” he wrote in his review. This was the third collaboration between the actor and director (the first two were “Edward Scissorhands” and “Ed Wood”), and it would not be the last; In the 2000s, the duo also collaborated on Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Corpse Bride,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and “Alice in Wonderland.” I think “Sleepy Hollow” remains Burton’s most creatively successful film for Depp. At the very least, it was a film that made it clear: the cast and director were here to stay.

“Sleepy Hollow” also provides an entertaining look at the early career of Ritchie, who in 1999 was transitioning from Family movies like “Casper” For adult projects. Ritchie once described her character here as “a princess character, very one-sided, with no emotional depth,” though that was not intended as an insult. As it is He told CNN“I hate sitting down and talking about a character’s emotional background. She’s a storybook character, and she’s not real. It means you have more freedom, as you don’t have to make anything she does believable or make people believe her choices in the story.”