After a streak of back-to-back successes, indie powerhouse A24 seems to be hitting a rough patch. Aside from the star-studded romantic comedy Materialists, 2025 has yet to deliver the kind of box office or critical wins the studio has become known for. An example is the genre-blending fantasy horror Death of a Unicorn, starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father-daughter duo. Despite its intriguing premise, the film struggled financially, barely recouping its production budget after its March 28 theatrical release. Four months later, the movie is heading to HBO Max, where increased visibility might finally give it the audience it needs to score some wins.
Fueled by the unexpected pairing of Ortega and Rudd, Death of a Unicorn arrived with considerable pre-release buzz and strong festival hype. But that momentum quickly stalled after its world premiere at South by Southwest, where early reactions proved lukewarm at best. The film landed a middling 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes from over 200 critics, with a consensus pointing to uneven execution. As the aggregator summarized: “Receiving some sparkle from Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega’s father-daughter rapport, Death of a Unicorn‘s broad satire is a bit too on the horn but makes for an entertainingly splattery creature feature.” The reception signaled trouble for A24’s marketing push, with critical goodwill, often the studio’s secret weapon, failing to materialize.
A sharp-edged satire of Big Pharma, Death of a Unicorn follows Rudd and Ortega as a father-daughter duo who “accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.” Despite its wild premise and star power, the film failed to generate meaningful traction at the box office, pulling in just $16.1 million against a $15 million budget, barely breaking even. However, audience sentiment tells a different story. While critics were split, audiences responded more favorably, awarding it a solid 77%. That disparity could work in A24’s favor heading into the HBO Max debut, where genre fare with bold concepts often finds a second life. If viewer curiosity clicks in, it could likely climb the streamer’s charts in its first week.
The Team Behind ‘Death of a Unicorn’
Death of a Unicorn marks the feature directorial debut of Alex Scharfman, who also penned the screenplay. While this is his first time behind the camera on a full-length film, Scharfman is no newcomer to the industry. With over 20 producing credits to his name, his recent work includes the psychological horror Resurrection, the Prime Video crime drama Blow the Man Down, and the horror thriller House of Spoils. In a wide-ranging interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Scharfman spoke candidly about what drew him to the director’s chair and the origins of this genre-bending project, which you can read/watch here.
In addition to headliners Rudd, Ortega, and Grant, the film boasts a strong supporting cast featuring Téa Leoni, Will Poulter, and Anthony Carrigan. Death of a Unicorn will be available to stream on HBO Max beginning July 25, with its linear HBO premiere set for the following evening, Saturday, July 26, at 8 p.m.
Source: Deadline