Ranker Spotlight: Napoleon Bonaparte
For the second time this year, Apple Studios is harnessing the power of the theatrical release to promote its streaming service. Ridley Scott’s upcoming historical epic Napoleon, much like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon did in October, will open in theaters before eventually streaming exclusively on Apple TV+. Though streamers in the past have reasoned that consumers won’t pay to see a movie in theaters they know they can later stream at home, Apple is giving Napoleon an extended run, putting its faith in the power of spectacle to draw people into cinemas.
With A-list talent both in front of and behind the camera, Napoleon is well-positioned to give Apple returns on its considerable investment. Still, we at Ranker Insights can’t help but offer Apple Studios some advice in the leadup to the film’s November 22 release date.
Reaching Fans of Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix
Photo: Apple Studios
Reaching fans of celebrated director Ridley Scott should be a no-brainer for Apple. But to extend the reach of its campaigns, Apple might also consider targeting fans of movies that aren’t directed by Scott who just so happen to love the British director’s work.
We looked at the fan bases for the Top 5 movies on our list of Every Movie Directed By Ridley Scott, Ranked By Fans (4K votes) — Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner, The Martian, and Black Hawk Down — and found that fans of each share more than just a love of the director. Fans of all these movies are at least 2X more likely to also love The Thing (1982), The Edge of Tomorrow, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Mad Max: Fury Road. In addition, fans of all these movies but Black Hawk Down are at least 3X more likely to love the 2009 reboot of Star Trek.
As for Joaquin Phoenix, Insights finds that, beyond movies that star the actor himself, his fans are 2X more likely to love cinephile favorites like The Deer Hunter, No Country for Old Men, and The Usual Suspects.
Reaching Fans of Napoleon
Photo: Wikimedia
But while Ranker has thousands of pop culture lists, our material doesn’t stop at the world of film and TV — and neither does our data. Napoleon Bonaparte himself has received tens of thousands of votes on competitive lists of historical figures. The results give us a unique insight into how the modern world feels about the legacy of this legendary leader and military commander, and it just might offer Apple some interesting information about how to promote its latest movie.
So how does Napoleon rank on Ranker? He’s #2 on The Most Important Military Leaders In World History (178K votes), with only Alexander the Great ahead of him. Our voters rank his political capabilities slightly lower than they do his military ones, as the one-time emperor of France is ranked #7 on the similarly titled list of Most Important Leaders In World History (1 million votes), again one spot behind Alexander the Great. Napoleon is also in the top 50 of lists like The Most Enlightened Leaders In World History (58K votes), where he’s ranked #34, and on the most competitive list mentioned so far, The Most Influential People Of All Time (2.8 million votes), where he sits at #40.
Those who voted Napoleon up on these and other lists were 6X more likely to also vote up his perennial rival Alexander the Great — while Napoleon himself likely wouldn’t have cared for the competition, his fans seem more than capable of appreciating both leaders. Other military and political figures Napoleon fans tend to love include Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler, Qin dynasty founder Qin Shi Huang, and the “Rough Rider”-turned U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt.
As far as depictions of Bonaparte on screen go, our voters have put Rod Steiger, who starred in the 1970 British film Waterloo, at the top of our list of The Best Actors Who Played Napoleon Bonaparte (2K votes). Steiger sits above 19 other actors, including Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper. Both Scott and Phoenix know they have big boots to fill: Waterloo is still regarded as a costly but impressive production even by today’s standards. The film is famous for using 15,000 costumed extras for its battle scenes, the highest number of extras used by any film to this day.
Overall, Napoleon himself has a sentiment score on Ranker of 52%, meaning that a little more than half of the 81,000 votes cast for him indicate positive sentiment — even today, Bonaparte remains a divisive figure! It will be interesting to see if Scott’s movie changes our perception of his subject, for better or for worse. Before it can do that, its producers must promote the movie as effectively as possible. Bonne chance, Apple! The reputation of this legendary military mind is definitively in your hands.
