Britney Spears Fans Praise Movie Hitting Netflix

Britney Spears fans are rejoicing after it was announced that the singer's 2002 movie Crossroads is finally coming to Netflix.

It will be hitting the streaming service worldwide on February 15, which will be 22 years after it was released in North America. The coming-of-age movie follows three childhood friends Lucy, Kit and Mimi, played by Spears, Zoë Saldaña and Taryn Manning respectively, who reunite at graduation and decide to embark on a summer road trip to pursue their dreams. The star-studded cast doesn't end there, as Spears' parents were played by Dan Aykroyd and Kim Cattrall with Justin Long playing one of Lucy's best friends from high school.

Directed by Tamra Davis, it was the first movie Spears starred in and was also the first movie screenplay Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes ever wrote. While Crossroads received generally negative reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $61.1 million worldwide on a $12 million budget. It has been unavailable on streaming services for years but now fans of the movie can finally rejoice.

"The first movie to ever star the one and only Britney Spears has never been available on streaming... but that's about to change! We're thrilled to announce that Crossroads will finally be available on Netflix — GLOBALLY — starting February 15," the Netflix X account (formerly Twitter) posted on January 22.

Davis told Newsweek in a statement: "I am beyond thrilled regarding the re-release of Crossroads. The movie is not only a nostalgic time capsule from when we made it, but also shows Britney Spears in a beautiful performance at the height of her career.

"It's also so fun to see the early work of Shonda Rhimes and recognize her strong voice for female characters in her first feature film. Having the film available on Netflix it's a dream come true. Now everyone will be able to enjoy Crossroads whenever they want to watch it."

Newsweek also contacted Spears and Rhimes for comment via email Tuesday. Netflix declined to comment.

People have taken to social media to share their love for the movie and Spears.

"We will definitely be watching this classic movie," one X user wrote.

"It's about time," another added.

"There goes Shonda Rhimes best work for all to finally enjoy," a different person said.

"I have it on VHS but no tape player. I can't wait to watch this," someone else wrote.

Another comment read: "This movie is about some things that are lacking nowadays: true friendship and strong determination—many good memories."

In Spears' memoir The Woman in Me, which was released October 2023, she revealed she got lost in method acting while making Crossroads.

"The experience wasn't easy for me. My problem wasn't with anyone involved in the production but with what acting did to my mind," she wrote. "I think I started method acting—only I didn't know how to break out of my character. I really became this other person…I didn't have any separation at all."

Spears explained that she felt like she was becoming possessed by the role as she found herself changing while filming. The experience didn't leave her wanting to pursue acting full-time.

"I ended up walking differently, carrying myself differently, talking differently," she said. "I was someone else for months while I filmed Crossroads. Still to this day, I bet the girls I shot that movie with think, She's a little…quirky. If they thought that, they were right.

"That was pretty much the beginning and end of my acting career, and I was relieved. I hope I never get close to that occupational hazard again. Living that way, being half yourself and half a fictional character, is messed up. After a while you don't know what's real anymore."

Spears' big break in Hollywood was as a cast member of The All New Mickey Mouse Club in the early '90s alongside Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling. When Spears shot Crossroads, she had already released three albums, Baby One More Time, Oops! I Did It Again and Britney, all of which peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. charts.

Update 1/24/24, 03:05 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a comment from Tamra Davis.