Chinatown leaves – “Chinatown” is set to leave Paramount+ on July 1. The 1974 neo-noir—directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway—holds a 98% Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh score, has 11 Academy Award nominations, and earned Robert Towne an Oscar fo
A classic L.A. mystery is about to disappear from the streaming menu. “Chinatown,” the neo-noir many call the greatest detective movie ever, is currently streaming on Paramount+, but it will leave the platform on July 1.
For fans who’ve been meaning to watch it—or rewatch it one more time—this is the final stretch. The film is directed by Roman Polanski and released June 20, 1974. It runs 130 minutes and was written by Robert Towne. The cast anchors the story with Jack Nicholson as a weathered private eye and Faye Dunaway as a key figure tied to a conspiracy that “goes all the way to the top.”.
On Rotten Tomatoes, “Chinatown” carries a near-perfect Certified Fresh 98% score. The site’s consensus praises it as “bruised and cynical” in the way the decade that produced it was. while pointing to Robert Towne’s “brilliant screenplay. ” Polanski’s “steady hand. ” and the performances from Nicholson and Dunaway. The movie also landed with major awards recognition: it received 11 Academy Award nominations and 11 BAFTA nods.
Towne’s impact didn’t stop at the original. He won an Oscar for his work on “Chinatown.” Towne later wrote a sequel titled “The Two Jakes. ” released theatrically in 1990. That follow-up was directed by Nicholson. Despite the pedigree. it disappointed at the box office and with critics. grossing $10 million against a reported budget of $25 million. and it now holds a 59% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
For “Chinatown” itself, the business side carries a different kind of story: the film grossed nearly $30 million against a reported budget of $6 million.
That’s the timeline now—masterpiece performances, a Certified Fresh 98%, and then a clear deadline for viewers: “Chinatown” leaves Paramount+ on July 1.
Chinatown Paramount+ July 1 Jack Nicholson Faye Dunaway Roman Polanski Robert Towne Rotten Tomatoes neo-noir