Zazie Beetz's 2026 Horror Flop Is Finally Finding An Audience On HBO Max

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A violent action/horror movie starring Zazie Beetz ("Deadpool 2," "Joker") that bombed at the box office is finally finding its audience. The movie in question is "They Will Kill You." Directed by Kirill Sokolov, Warner Bros. had high hopes for this high-concept original film when it debuted earlier this year. It didn't pan out — at least not initially. Now, though, it's doing numbers on HBO Max, offering the film a redemption arc.

Per FlixPatrol, "They Will Kill You" is the number one movie on HBO Max right now. It recently made its way to streaming following its initial theatrical release in March. It's currently above "Black Phone 2," which exists in Scott Derrickson's secret horror universe, as well as "My Mother's Wedding" and the animated "GOAT." Evidently, audiences were curious about Sokolov's very violent, stylized demonic action flick, but they were just taking a wait-to-stream approach.

The movie centers on a desperate woman named Asia (Beetz) who answers a cryptic ad for a live-in housekeeper at a luxurious yet foreboding New York City high-rise. Once there, she uncovers the building's sinister history, with a Satanic cult lurking in the shadows. As she navigates the building, it spirals into a fight for survival against the residents, who aren't what they seem on the surface.

The cast also includes Myha'la ("Leave the World Behind"), Tom Felton ("Harry Potter"), Heather Graham ("The Hangover"), and Patricia Arquette ("Severance"). Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, the director and producer of Stephen King's "It," the biggest horror hit ever at the box office, were also on board as producers.

"They Will Kill You" was produced for a reasonable $20 million budget. Warner Bros. has demonstrated a real willingness to bet on original cinema in recent years, particularly genre fare, with movies like "Sinners" and "Weapons" both winning big at the 2026 Oscars in addition to becoming huge hits. Unfortunately, this movie sort of got a raw deal on its initial release.

Despite earning pretty decent reviews, Kirill Sokolov's bonkers action/horror epic hit theaters as Ryan Gosling's "Project Hail Mary" was dominating the box office. It had to settle for third place on opening weekend, opening to just $4.9 million. It failed to catch on in the coming weeks, in no small part because "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come," which had a very similar premise, was just around the corner.

Ultimately, "They Will Kill You" finished its box office run with just $19 million worldwide. The good news is that it was made relatively cheap, and that deficit can easily be made up between VOD and streaming. In the long run, this may prove to be something of a sleeper hit and/or a cult classic, it just got buried in part due to unfortunate circumstances in the marketplace.

This is very much the kind of movie that people say they want more of. There is often a complaint about a lack of originality in Hollywood, but studios generally only make what people see. It's about voting with your dollars. At the very least, this one is getting some much-needed attention now that it's available to watch at home.

You can also grab "They Will Kill You" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD on Amazon.