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Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Weapons.

With two feature films now under his belt, Zach Cregger is making a name for himself in the horror world. His 2022 shocker Barbarian unfolds in a series of increasingly startling revelations that slowly erode our illusions of safety. His sophomore outing Weapons boasts a similarly cryptic title which clarifies itself in the story’s final act. A shocking tragedy at an elementary school sparks a horrifying tale of parasitic violence and sinister control. As in Barbarian, Cregger offers two female characters who sit on opposite ends of a monstrous spectrum. What unifies Justine (Julia Garner) and the mysterious Gladys (Amy Madigan) is the misogynistic world they both occupy. One suffers from a community primed to vilify women while the other uses patriarchal culture to hide in plain sight.

Justine is the newest teacher at Maybrook Elementary when a strange tragedy befalls the city.

Pedro Pascal urges fans to see the new hit horror movie he dropped out of. Directed by Zach Cregger, Weapons follows the mysterious disappearance of 17 children who got out of bed one night and ran out of their homes at the same time. The movie came to theaters on Aug. 8 and features a star-studded cast including Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wang, and Cary Christopher.

Meanwhile, Pascal stars in the most recent MCU feature film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which has been in movie theaters since July 24. The latest cinematic relaunch of the Fantastic Four has grossed $434 million worldwide so far against a reported $200 million budget. Pascal has also reportedly wrapped filming on his scenes for Avengers: Doomsday.

Via his Instagram story, the Last of Us star urged fans to go see Weapons, a movie for which he was cast but was forced to drop out of. Pascal shared...

This article contains discussions of addiction.

In the fall of 2000, "The Exorcist," which originally hit theaters in 1973, got a huge re-release titled "The Version You've Never Seen." Ads for the re-release of this beloved, unbelievably influential horror classic were inescapable, and I was about to turn 10 years old. The first time I saw a commercial with Linda Blair's Regan MacNeil spider-walking down the stairs of her family home, it scared me so badly that I had nightmares about it for a full week.

I share this anecdote to make one thing perfectly clear: I don't do well with horror movies. At the same time, I respect them and even sort of revere them — name a huge horror release, and I've probably read the entire plot synopsis on Wikipedia dozens of times over to avoid getting the pants scared off me by watching the film in the first place. When "Skinamarink" came out,...

A new horror movie with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score has the audience clapping and laughing in response to its wild ending. Written and directed by Zach Cregger, Weapons stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wang, Austin Abrams, among many others, and revolves around the strange disappearance of an entire classroom of children, except for one.

In addition to its near-perfect Rt score generated from 237 critical reviews, the movie also has an 87% audience score, with many praising the well-crafted storytelling and the strong performances. Those who have seen Weapons have taken to social media to react to the movie's ending. Some left the theaters shocked, while others were furious.

@Brilliantblan0 named it "the best horror movie of the decade," highlighting the "Wild" ending.

Weapons is the best horror movie of the decade. Probably the best since Hereditary. The ending is Wild. All of these four actors, especially Amy Madigan, should be getting nominations this awards season.

Zach Cregger made a huge splash on the horror scene back in 2022 with his first original horror movie Barbarian, a film that scared up $10.5 million in its domestic debut and went on to make $45 million at the worldwide box office. Cregger levels up with his second original horror movie Weapons, which has outgrossed the entire run of Barbarian in its first weekend.

Released into 3,202 theaters by Warner Bros. over the weekend, Cregger’s Weapons debuted to $42.5 million in the United States and a massive $70 million at the worldwide box office!

Weapons was number 1 at the U.S. box office for the weekend, with the film earning the third highest grossing opening weekend for the horror genre this year so far. Only Final Destination Bloodlines ($51.6 million) and Sinners ($48 million) had higher openings, and those two movies went on to earn $285 million and $365 million at the global box office, respectively.

The budget...

Comedian Turned Director Behind Weapons And Resident Evil Reboot ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Zach Cregger is a film director who has recently helmed the acclaimed horror film Weapons, which has generated a lot of buzz. And this isn’t the only high-profile project the budding director has under his belt, as Zach will also be working on an upcoming film reboot for Capcom’s iconic Resident Evil series.

However, Zach Cregger’s pivot into horror filmmaking is the latest chapter in a long, storied career. Read on to learn more about this rising star’s long and diverse career trajectory, from his start as a comedian to his pivot towards filmmaking.

Zach Cregger Was A Founding Member Of Wkuk

Zach Cregger first attained prominence in the public eye as a founding member of the cult-favorite comedy troupe The Whitest Kids You Know (Wkuk).

Trending When The Russo Brothers Fought Relentlessly With...

Worldwide box office: August 8-10 TitleFilm (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1 Weapons(Warner Bros) $70m $70m $27.5m $7.5m 73 2 Freakier Friday(Disney) $44.5m $44,5m $15.5m $15.5m 47 3 Dead To Rights(various) $41.5m $306.7m $41.5m $306.7m 3 4 Nobody(various) $35m $76.9m $35m $76.9m 1 5 Fantastic Four: The First Steps(Disney) $33m $434.2m $17.5m $203.8m 53 6 Dongji Rescue(various) $27m $27.1m $27m $27.1m 1 7 Jurassic World Rebirth(Universal) $20.8m $800m $16.1m $473.2m 84 8 The Bad Guys 2(Universal) $19.7m $84m $9.3m $40.6m 65 9 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba InfinityCastle(various) $14.6m $145.6m $14.6m $145.6m 2 10 F1(Warner Bros) $14.5m $570.7m $11,7m $392.1m 78

Credit: Comscore.

Spoilers: This post contains details about Weapons

As Alden Ehrenreich got into uniform for Weapons, he was determined to get this detail about the character just right.

The actor, who plays Officer Paul Morgan in the horror movie that opened atop the box office, admitted that he and director Zach Cregger were torn over whether his character should have a mustache.

“When we first started talking about the character, we were like, ‘There’s no f—ing way we’re going to do a mustache. We’re not doing a mustache! It’s super trope-y. Every cop in every movie has one. We’re not doing it!'” he told Men’s Health. “Then I sent Zach a picture of me with a mustache, and he was like, ‘Don’t shave the mustache.’ And then I spent time with some cops—and they all had the mustache!”

Ehrenreich added, “It’s...

One would be hard-pressed to find a busier man in Hollywood than Pedro Pascal these days. The star of "The Mandalorian" and "Gladiator II" has been an ever-present force in both movies and TV over the last several years. That's a big reason why Warner Bros. and director Zach Cregger tapped him to topline the cast for the filmmaker's latest movie "Weapons," a follow-up to his 2022 breakout feature debut "Barbarian." Unfortunately, Pascal had to drop out of the movie before production began. But why?

In a recent interview with Variety, Cregger addressed Pascal's departure from "Weapons," revealing that the months-long 2023 Screen Actors Guild strike was to blame. "I had a whole different cast for this movie. And then we had the strike, and then Pedro Pascal's schedule threw us into turmoil. I had to recast the entire movie," the director said. Indeed, it wasn't just losing one cast member. Apparently,...

“Weapons,” Zach Cregger’s critically acclaimed horror film about a community rocked by the mysterious disappearance of 17 children, scored at the international box office. The film, which topped domestic charts in its opening weekend, picked up $27.5 million from 73 international markets to bring its global haul to $70 million.

“Weapons” was released by Warner Bros. and New Line and stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan. It cost a modest $38 million to produce, setting itself up nicely for a very profitable run in theaters. Among the most notable foreign territories, “Weapons” performed well in the U.K., where it earned $3.6 million, Mexico, where it picked up $2.7 million, France, where it nabbed $2 million and Australia, where it grossed $1.8 million. Horror films traditionally perform better in the U.S. than in other parts of the world.

The weekend’s other major new release, Disney’s “Freakier Friday,...

Julia Garner as Justine in New Line Cinema’s “Weapons,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Weapons and Freakier Friday dominated the box office this weekend, showing that horror and comedy can still bring in huge crowds. Weapons, from Warner Bros., took the top spot with a $42.5 million opening. Disney’s Freakier Friday followed closely with $29 million, and together Weapons and Freakier Friday knocked a superhero blockbuster off its throne.

The strong debut for Weapons and Freakier Friday marks another high point in an already impressive summer. Warner Bros., already boosted by hits like A Minecraft Movie and Superman, can now count Weapons as another win. Directed by Zach Cregger, the $38 million horror film stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. Its box office success proves that original horror stories still have the power to lead the race.

Meanwhile,...

Bored with what’s on Netflix? Josh Brolin says go see “Weapons.”

In a recent interview with Collider, Brolin, who stars in Zach Cregger’s latest twisty horror, said “Weapons” is the antithesis of “boring” streaming content, bringing the horror genre to “the edge of absurdity” to create something entirely unique.

“You’re looking for great filmmakers, and you’re hoping that there’s another new good filmmaker out there,” Brolin said. “Right now, with so much content, you’re just watching things on whatever streaming service you’re on, and you’re just going, ‘Fuck, why is this so boring, man? Why?’ And just go to the next thing. It’s all the same shit. And then somebody not only takes the horror genre, but then fucks with it and then does something on the edge of absurdity, and it’s sort of humorous, so it’s keeping you...

Weapons has already outgrossed Barbarian. Weapons is the new horror movie from director Zach Cregger, whose 2022 outing Barbarian became a surprise hit at a still pandemic-depressed box office by grossing $45.4 million against its reported budget of just $4.5 million.

His follow-up in the genre is 2025's Weapons, which stars Julia Garner as an elementary school teacher who is suspected of being behind the mysterious disappearance of all but one of her students on the same night. The movie's ensemble cast also includes Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, and Amy Madigan.

Warner Bros. reports that, as of Sunday morning, Weapons is projected to end its opening weekend with a global haul of $70 million, comprising $42.5 million at the domestic box office and an additional $27.5 million from more than 70 international markets.

Not only does this total surpass the $45.4 million gross of Barbarian, it exceeds it by more than one and a half times.

Weapons is scaring up big numbers at the box office!

The much-buzzed about horror film, about a group of missing children, debuted at No. 1 this weekend with an impressive $42.5 million, according to Variety.

From writer-director Zach Cregger, best known for 2022’s cult hit Barbarian, the movie stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan.

Made for $38 million and released by Warner Bros.’ New Line label, Weapons continues a hot streak for the studio after recent successes like Sinners, A Minecraft Movie and Superman.

His previous film, Barbarian, earned $45.4 million and became a fan favorite among horror lovers. Thanks to the success of Weapons, he’s already set to helm a reboot of Resident Evil.

Find out if this movie has an end credits scene or not.

“Weapons,” a twisty horror film about a group of missing children, and “Freakier Friday,” a body swap comedy, delivered a potent one-two punch at the box office this weekend, lifting ticket sales as summer movie season draws to a close.

The films captured the top two spots on the charts, with “Weapons” debuting to $42.5 million and “Freakier Friday” premiering to $29 million. Last weekend’s champ, Disney and Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” surrendered its box office crown, earning $15.5 million in its third weekend of release for a third place finish. After starting strong with a $117.6 million bow, “Fantastic Four” has plummeted in subsequent weekends, falling more than 67% in its sophomore frame and another 60% over the past weekend. The superhero film has grossed $230 million domestically and will likely earn less money than “Superman,” the latest comic book adaptation from its rival DC Films.

“Weapons” extends a hot streak for Warner Bros.,...

Warning: The following article contains Spoilers for WeaponsDirector Zach Cregger addresses potentially making another Weapons. The horror movie unravels a mystery surrounding seventeen children, all from the same elementary school classroom, who disappeared one night at 2:17 a.m. The cast includes Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, and Amy Madigan.

Successfully hiding nearly every major secret, especially Gladys (Madigan), Weapons has continued to drum up excitement. Now that it premiered,the movie is receiving praise, boasting a 95% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, and will likely become a commercial hit.

During an interview with Variety, Cregger discussed possibly returning to the Weapons universe. The director expressed interest in creating another project occurring in the same world, and revealed that he already has something in mind. However, Cregger noted that he would not be quick to make it. Read his comments below:

Definitely. I’ve...

Zach Cregger has a look of horror on his face. He has said something he should not have said.

When the writer-director first penned what would become Barbarian, his 2022 Airbnb-set horror movie that turned into a word-of-mouth phenomenon, he was coming off years of work as an actor for hire and a stay in “director jail,” after making what he termed “a complete and unmitigated failure.” (That would be the 2009 road-movie comedy Miss March.) “I had nothing to lose, really,” Cregger says, over Zoom from an apartment in Prague. “It...

The 2025 mystery horror film Weapons, written, co-scored, produced, and directed by Zach Cregger, is quickly making waves for its fresh take on the genre. The movie stars Josh Brolin alongside Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. It tells the strange story of seventeen children from the same classroom who vanish mysteriously on the same night, seemingly taken by an unknown force.

Weapons first hit theaters in the Philippines on August 6, 2025, before its U.S. release by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 8. The film has received strong reviews and has earned $29.7 million worldwide, showing that audiences are hungry for something different.

Josh Brolin, the movie’s lead, has spoken openly about why he was drawn to this project. He told Collider that Weapons feels like the wild cure for the “boring” movies flooding streaming platforms today. Brolin said, “Right now, with so much content,...

Josh Brolin is the star of a new horror mystery film called Weapons, which came out in early August 2025. Directed and written by Zach Cregger, the movie follows a strange case where seventeen kids from the same classroom all mysteriously run away on the same night.

The story digs into what really happened to these children, who seem to have been taken by an unknown force. The movie also features Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, and Austin Abrams.

Weapons first hit theaters in the Philippines on August 6, then opened in the United States two days later. It has already earned nearly $30 million worldwide and has been praised by critics everywhere.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a very strong 95% approval rating from 222 critics, while Metacritic gives it a high score of 81 out of 100. Audience reactions are just as positive, with CinemaScore giving it an A− and PostTrak showing most...

Weapons North America Box Office Day 1 Update(Photo Credit –YouTube)

The horror film Weapons debuted at the #1 spot in the domestic box office chart, pushing The Fantastic Four: First Steps and other films down in the rankings. The movie has recorded one of the biggest opening day collections in the post-pandemic era. It also has an ensemble cast and has received impressive reviews from the critics. Read on for more.

The horror flick features crucial roles for Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. It received 95% from the critics on the Rotten Tomatoes site, and they said, “Zach Cregger spins an expertly crafted yarn of terrifying mystery and thrilling intrigue in Weapons, a sophomore triumph that solidifies his status as a master of horror.”

Weapons’ box office collection on day 1 in North America

Based on Box Office Mojo data, Josh Brolin starrer...

Barbarian director Zack Cregger's second feature, Weapons, is now playing in theaters, and we're delving into the twisted mystery at the heart of the movie that's outlined in the opening narration.

“Last night, at 2:17 am, every child from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, walked into the dark … and they never came back.”

If you haven't been to see the movie yet, be warned that major spoilers follow from this point on.

Not everything from the narration is entirely accurate. One boy named Alex (Cary Christopher) remains in the classroom, and the other kids do eventually come back... albeit forever changed by their nightmarish ordeal.

The movie deals with the fallout of this incident, with the story unfolding from the Pov of several characters. Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) must deal with carrying the weight of suspicion from the devastated...

Spoiler Alert: This article contains minor spoilers about “Weapons,” now playing in theaters.

Halfway through opening weekend, Zach Cregger’s genre-blending horror movie “Weapons” is giving audiences more than ghastly thrills and gallows humor – the film is helping its established cast show some versatility in a wholly original script.

Unexpected and aggressive performances from Amy Madigan, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong and Julia Garner abound in the project, which is certainly true of another key player: Alden Ehrenreich. The once “It” boy muse of the Coen Brothers and, later, an attempted franchise starter in the world of Star Wars, Ehrenreich shines as a stunted Podunk cop whose town is rocked by the wee hours disappearance of 17 children.

Ehrenreich’s Paul is trapped in a marriage he doesn’t want, working for his sheriff father-in-law and occasionally backsliding into addiction with an old flame and fellow fuck-up played by Garner. Neither is...

Mild "Weapons" spoilers follow.

Zach Cregger's excellent new horror film "Weapons" takes an unusual storytelling approach. Rather than stick with one linear narrative, Cregger paints a mosaic, weaving a sprawling tale from several different perspectives. Of course, Cregger didn't invent this method of movie storytelling — but you don't usually see it applied to horror movies. Instead, this is the type of format used by filmmakers like Robert Altman — see "Nashville" and "Short Cuts" as prime examples. Quentin Tarantino's breakout hit "Pulp Fiction" also followed a similar path, telling several interconnected stories from various points of time.

And then, of course, there's Paul Thomas Anderson's gargantuan drama "Magnolia." Released in 1999, Anderson's film — which clocks in at a whopping 188 minutes — follows several different interconnected characters around Los Angeles as they cross paths over a short period of time. After Anderson broke out in a big way with "Boogie Nights,...

“Weapons” has the upper hand in its box office duel against “Freakier Friday,” though both new releases are drawing strong openings as the summer tentpole season begins to wind down.

Opening on top, Warner Bros. and New Line’s “Weapons” added $18.2 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,202 locations. The film has Imax and most premium large format auditoriums. Select screenings began Thursday afternoon at 2:17 pm, to match a key time that spurs the story — the hour when a group of children all awaken at once and mysteriously disappear. The movie sports an ensemble cast including Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan.

The horror now looks to come in well ahead of its pre-weekend projections, which had topped out around $30 million. That’s a great start for the R-rated original, which carries a production budget of $38 million. It’s also a huge...

Weapons IMDb Score: Zach Cregger’s Horror Beats Sinners, 28 Years Later & Final Destination: Bloodlines (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Barbarian director Zach Cregger’s much-awaited mystery horror film Weapons finally hit theaters yesterday. After earning rave reviews from critics, including an impressive 96% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has now received its IMDb rating from audiences.

Join us in Maybrook. #WeaponsMovie in #4Dx – in theaters August 8. Tickets on sale now, link in bio. pic.twitter.com/JA5L0uuvXK

— 4Dx (@4dxusa) July 23, 2025

Now, let’s see if it has garnered similarly positive feedback on IMDb and how Weapons compares with the IMDb ratings of this year’s acclaimed horror hits: Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, and Final Destination: Bloodlines.

Weapons vs. 2025’s Acclaimed Horror Hits

As of now, Weapons holds an impressive user rating of 8/10 on IMDb. In comparison, Sinners boasts a score of 7.6/10, while both...

Weapons, the latest offering from director Zach Cregger—known for the horror hit Barbarian—catapults audiences into a dark, emotionally charged hunt for truth and survival. What begins with a found wallet spirals into a labyrinth of fear, betrayal, and raw human terror, making Weapons a standout in modern horror.

A Gripping, Unpredictable Mystery

The film opens with an eerie setup: a lost wallet that opens the door to paranoia. From this seemingly mundane beginning, Weapons charts its course through blind trust, hidden motives, and escalating dread. The screenplay maintains mystery without sacrificing clarity, blending psychological dread with visceral frights.

Weapons: A Terrifying Horror Masterpiece That Ranks Among the Year’s Best Scares. (Photo Source- Youtube)

Narratively, the movie excels when it subverts expectations—characters you trust turn suspect, familiar settings feel menacing, and motives reveal themselves inch by inch. The gradual pacing intensifies rather than dilutes the horror,...

Weapons North America Box Office: Registers Fantastic Collection In Previews(Photo Credit –YouTube)

Weapons, starring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and others, has arrived at the North American box office with a roar. In the last few days, the film has been in the discussions for all the right reasons, which generated solid hype. This hype is getting reflected at ticket windows as the film recorded a superb response in Thursday previews, helping it surpass Sinners and other horror biggies. Keep reading for a detailed collection report!

Benefitting due to positive reception

The American horror film witnessed its full-fledged release on August 8. Before its full-fledged release, it had Thursday previews scheduled at selected locations. Since early reviews for this horror mystery were extremely positive, there has been genuine interest on the ground level, which was also seen through impressive footfalls in previews.

Weapons registers impressive previews at the North American...

The 2025 mystery horror film Weapons is written, produced, and directed by Zach Cregger. The movie stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan.

The story follows the strange disappearance of seventeen children from the same classroom, who vanish on the same night, seemingly taken by an unseen force.

Weapons first premiered in the Philippines on August 6, 2025, before its U.S. release on August 8, 2025, through Warner Bros. Pictures. It quickly gained praise from critics and has earned $5.7 million worldwide.

The film made an impressive $5.7 million during preview screenings alone, setting a new record for the highest preview earnings for a horror film in 2025, beating out Coogler’s Sinners. It also debuted with an A- grade on CinemaScore, placing it among the top-rated horror movies like Get Out and Silence of the Lambs.

Via CinemaScore

On Rotten Tomatoes, Weapons holds a 96% approval rating based on 207 reviews,...

Spoiler Alert: This story discusses all major plot developments, including the ending, in “Weapons,” currently playing in theaters.

Zach Cregger’s new horror film “Weapons” has been released, and the marketing for the movie is centered upon a mystery printed on the poster: “Last night, at 2:17 am, every child from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, walked into the dark … and they never came back.”

Too scared to go see the movie, but curious to find out what happened? Read on for a breakdown of the plot.

The film starts right away with the central mystery, and the increasingly desperate parents in the town are convinced that Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) knows something about why every middle school student — besides a young boy named Alex (Cary Christopher) — from her class disappeared and where they went.

As the search hits...

This week kicked off with the at-home premiere of Jurassic World Rebirth and the return of Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday” Season 2, and eight more new releases have arrived today.

Here’s all the new horror unleashed on Friday, August 8, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

First up, Zach Cregger’s (Barbarian) new horror movie Weapons is now playing in theaters!

Weapons has been compared to PTA’s Magnolia and described as an epic tale that’s both unconventionally structured and “really fucked up” (Cregger’s own words).

In Weapons, “When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.” Dive deeper into the mystery on MaybrookMissing.com.

The cast for Cregger’s new film includes Josh Brolin (Dune 2), Julia Garner (The Royal Hotel...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is a double-guest delight for your listening delectation. First up, Chris Hewitt hops onto Zoom to have a lovely natter with Guy Pearce, who shows off his musical prowess, reveals the one accent that eludes him, and tells us all about his brilliant new Australian prison drama Inside [20:12 — 37:51 approx.] Then, our Deputy Online Editor and resident horror fanboy Ben Travis sits down for a lovely spoiler-free chat with Weapons star — and secret weapon of the MCU — Benedict Wong. [1:02:05 — 1:17:58 approx.]

Back in the pod booth, Helen O'Hara slip into the host's chair in Chris' absence, and use her endless reservoir of patience to corral James Dyer, Alex Godfrey and Ben Travis in a discussion of the best second movies by notable directors. That was inspired by the arrival of Weapons, the second film from Zach Cregger, and in the reviews section our quartet lose their minds over that,...

Weapons debuts with one of the strongest audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes this year. Written and directed by Zach Cregger, who made his debut with Barbarian in 2022, his new mystery horror film follows the puzzling disappearance of seventeen students from the same classroom, all of whom vanish on the same night, seemingly taken by an invisible force.

The Weapons cast includes Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (Milk), three-time Emmy nominee Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Oscar nominee Amy Madigan (Twice in a Lifetime), Toby Huss, June Diane Raphael, Whitmer Thomas, Callie Schuttera, Clayton Farris, Luke Speakman, and Scarlett Sher.

Now, on the day of its theatrical release, Weapons has debuted with a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is one of the strongest of this year. The film only has 500+ verified ratings at the time of writing, so its audience score is subject to change. Currently,...

Weapons, the new horror film from Barbarian (watch it Here) writer/director Zach Cregger, has made its way out into theatres. We know what JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray thought of the film, you can read his 9/10 review at This Link – but now we want to know, what did you think of the film?

Cregger assembled a strong cast for Weapons, including Julia Garner (Ozark), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), Amy Madigan (Antlers), Austin Abrams (Euphoria), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), and Cary Christopher (Days of Our Lives). Most details about the film have been successfully shrouded in mystery up to this point, but it has been said that it’s “an interrelated, multistory horror epic” that’s tonally in the vein of Magnolia, and the story revolves around the disappearance of elementary school kids in a small town. Here...

Stars: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Amy Madigan, Benedict Wong, Cary Christopher, Austin Abrams | Written and Directed by Zach Cregger

Writer-director Zach Cregger returns with compelling horror mystery Weapons, a worthy follow-up to his acclaimed 2022 hit Barbarian. Impressively structured, terrifically tense and superbly acted, it’s one of the best films of the year.

Set in a small suburban town, the film begins with a child’s voiceover explaining that earlier that week, at exactly 2.17am, seventeen children from the same class all went missing simultaneously, running out of their homes in bizarre fashion, as if they were playing at being aeroplanes. With the community bewildered and angry, fingers are pointed at the children’s teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), but there’s also the unexplained mystery of why just one lonely young boy in her class, Alex (Cary Christopher), was spared.

The story is structured with six chapters,...

Today is finally the day Zach Cregger's Weapons opens in theaters across the nation, and while critics have given the movie high praise, it's really the reaction of the fans that matters most. Anticipation has been at an all-time high for the new horror movie, which is Cregger's long-awaited follow-up to his 2022 hit, Barbarian. Now that Weapons is out in the wild, though, does it manage to live up to all the hype? According to most people, the answer is an overwhelming "Yes!"

Hitting Rotten Tomatoes with a Verified Hot audience score of 90%, Weapons undoubtedly delivers on all that it promises, and cements Cregger as one of the new masters of horror. Called a "masterpiece" by some, and "the best horror movie of the last 15–20 years" by others, one Rotten Tomatoes user suggests that if you don't know much about the movie going into it, it's best not to...

The box office is getting a lot freakier this Friday, with two new movies hitting theaters and battling for the No. 1 spot: “Freakier Friday” and “Weapons.”

The Disney body-swap comedy has made $3.1 million in Thursday previews at the box office, while Warner Bros.’ horror thriller has $5.7 million.

“Freakier Friday,” starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis 22 years after the original movie, is on track to make $27 million to $30 million this weekend, while director Zach Cregger’s “Weapons,” the follow-up to his 2022 hit horror “Barbarian,” is expected to be neck-and-neck with $25 million to $30 million. Both of them will take on Marvel’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which is aiming to make $18 million to $20 million in its third weekend of release. After debuting to a strong $117.6 million two weeks ago, “Fantastic Four” plummeted 66% in its sophomore weekend. Dropping 50% in its third weekend would put it among Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World...

The Weapons soundtrack on vinyl went on sale at 2:17 Am from Waxwork Records. It costs $35.

Pressed on 180-gram colored vinyl, the score is composed by Ryan & Hays Holladay (Class Action Park) and writer-director Zach Cregger.

It’s housed in a heavyweight gatefold jacket with a lenticultar front cover and matte satin coating featuring artwork by Steve Reeves. A 12×12 insert is included.

The album is expected to ship in late 2025, but Weapons is in theaters today via Warner Bros.

When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Julia Garner (Wolf Man), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Austin Abrams (“The Walking Dead”), Cary Christopher (Mank), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), and Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams) star.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review,...

Let’s be real, when we think of Green Lantern on our screens, it’s usually Ryan Reynolds. Maybe Nathan Fillion makes a cameo from time to time. However, did you know that there has been a version of the underrated Justice League member played by the horror maestro Zach Cregger?

That’s right. Long before he directed the iconic ‘Barbarian’ or the bone-chilling ‘Weapons’, Cregger brought Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern to life in a short film directed by Max Landis.

‘The Death and Return of Superman’ was released on YouTube, all the way back in 2012, long before Cregger became a recognized name in horror filmmaking.

The short film also stars Elijah Wood as Cyborg Superman, Mandy Moore as Lois Lane, and even Simon Pegg makes a cameo at one point. Like one fan pointed out, “It must be amazing to be able to call up people like Elijah Wood,...

Zach Cregger’s horror movie Weapons is already making a big splash before it even hits theaters. The film could pull in $6 million from its previews, beating out Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which earned $4.7 million from its Thursday night previews. Weapons is set to open in the United States on August 8, 2025, through Warner Bros. Pictures and has been impressing critics early on.

Right now, the movie holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the highest-rated horror films of the decade so far, according to early reviews. The story is set in a small town where something strange happens one night.

Seventeen kids from the same classroom suddenly get up in the middle of the night and run out of their homes. None of them return. The only kid who stays behind is Alex Lilly, played by Cary Christopher. The town’s teacher, Justine Gandy, played by Julia Garner,...

Zach Cregger’s Weapons is headed for the biggest previews for a horror movie this year with $6M, beating Coogler’s Sinners, which earned $4.7 million from Thursday night previews. Weapons is already making a big splash before it even hits theaters. Set to release in the United States on August 8, 2025, through Warner Bros. Pictures, the movie has impressed critics early on.

It currently holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which makes it one of the highest-rated horror movie of the decade so far, according to early reviews.

The story is set in a small town where a strange event takes place one night. Seventeen children from the same classroom mysteriously get up and run out of their homes in the middle of the night. None of them return. The only child left behind is Alex Lilly, played by Cary Christopher. The town’s teacher, Justine Gandy, played by Julia Garner,...

As we get past the majority of Summer, perhaps we can cool down a bit from the still sweltering temps by taking a trip into some Halloween-like fare at the multiplex. Why not, since this big cinema season kicked off with the jazz-loving bloodsuckers of Sinners, and the trick ‘r’ treat supplies are starting to take over lots of retail shelf space. And speaking of those lil’ “candy-demanders”, this new flick utilizes them for the frights. Yeah, the movies have been showcasing scary kids for many decades. Wow, those blank-eyed British tots for Village Of The Damned were in my “nightmare rotation” long before Regan MacNeil spewed pea soup in The Exorcist. Now an acclaimed horror director has mixed terror tykes with some small-town scandal and a big-time mystery in (the title is another puzzler) Weapons.

A soft-voiced pre-teen narrator introduces us to the town of Maybrrok, USA. Everything’s...

Weapons Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan, and Austin Abrams

Director: Zach Cregger

Weapons Movie Review Out: Zach Cregger Delivers One Of The Best Horror Movies Of The Year ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

What’s Good: The oppressive atmosphere and the deep sense of mystery are quite captivating.

What’s Bad: The convenience of some plot points stops the film from achieving its full potential.

Loo Break: There are no breaks here, as the film forces you to watch with attention to get to the answer.

Watch or Not?: Yes, this is a must-watch, especially if you love horror.

Language: English (with subtitles).

Available On: Theaters

Runtime: 129 Minutes.

User Rating:

A couple of years ago, Zach Cregger made a splash in the horror scene with Barbarian, a horror film that was sold as the scariest film of the decade, and ended...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson for Wbgr-fm on August 7th, 2025, reviewing the new film “Weapons,” written and directed by Zach Cregger of “Barbarians.” In theaters on August 8th.

Julia Garner is Justine, a grade school teacher who walks into her classroom, only to find that every student except Alex (Cary Christopher) has disappeared. Various doorbell cameras record the incident at 2:17am in the morning, showing the children running oddly towards somewhere, but disappearing into darkness. Archer (Josh Brolin) is a parent obsessed with his kid being gone, and mostly blames teacher Justine. As the story develops, it starts to involve police officer Paul (Aiden Ehrenreich), school principal Andrew (Benedict Wong), drug addict Anthony (Austin Adams) and Alex’s scary Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan). Where are these kids?

”Weapons” is in theaters on August 8th. Featuring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher,...

The brilliance of Weapons is hard to pinpoint. It makes a real case for Zach Cregger’s latest film to be one of the greatest horror films of the decade. It’s undoubtedly one of the most ambitious, pushed by a relentless pace and sense of mystery. It is one of the most exciting theatrical experiences of the year, which will make any fan of horror, mystery, or thriller brim with excitement.

Weapons Review

If you’re familiar with the (brilliant) marketing, you’ll already know everything you need to go into this. In the quiet town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania, seventeen children from Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) third-grade class suddenly vanish. At 2:17 in the morning, each child, as if controlled by a mysterious force, fled their homes into the night and “never came back.”

The film smartly lays all of this out in the first five minutes, meaning...

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law featured a breakout star in Patty Guggenheim, who completely stole the show as Wong's new best friend, Madisynn. In a recent interview with Collider, Guggenheim expressed interest in returning to the MCU sandbox for future projects. A second season of She-Hulk could easily pull off a larger-scale story with Jennifer Walters helping other Marvel heroes, like she did with Daredevil in Season 1.

The world is almost exactly three years removed from the release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the fourth wall-breaking MCU series led by Emmy-winner Tatiana Maslany. In addition to the Orphan Black star, who has still not been seen in the MCU since, Marvel brought back other franchise veterans like Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Wong to star in the series as Bruce Banner and Wong. However, the true breakout stars were in the newcomers, like Jameela Jamil, Josh Segarra, and, of course, Patty Guggenheim.

Pedro Pascal is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's biggest stars and most in-demand actors. This year alone has been remarkable for Pascal, beginning in April with his return as surrogate father figure Joel Miller in HBO's The Last of Us season 2, a performance that earned him a second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

This summer alone, Pascal has starred in two A24 movies, Celine Song's romantic comedy Materialists and Ari Aster's neo-Western Eddington. In his biggest role yet, Pascal made his MCU debut as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pascal was actually set to star in another movie this summer, though he exited the role early in pre-production.

Zach Cregger Explains Why Pedro Pascal Exited Weapons

Director Zach Cregger explains why Pedro Pascal exited his new horror movie, Weapons. Written and directed by Cregger, who made his buzzy...

“Weapons” (2025) is a potent, precise breed of psychological terror that makes no apologies for itself. Between its creative storytelling structure and its truly shocking ending, it is a film that is intended to initiate conversations. Zach Creggar’s previous film, “Barbarian,” was a clever satire of toxic relationships within the horror genre, whereas “Weapons” is a subversion of suburban horror that carefully weaves its scares into a nuanced character study.

Creggar shows an outstanding clarity within his vision, as the tone of “Weapons” can switch between darkly hilarious, utterly terrifying, and completely bizarre on a moment’s notice without ever feeling inconsistent. Given the complexities that will surely make “Weapons” even more fascinating upon a second watch, it’s safe to say that Creggar has joined the likes of Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and Mike Flanagan as one of the true trailblazers of modern horror.

“Weapons” opens with...

Josh Brolin found filming Weapons to be a really "communal" experience.The 57-year-old actor stars in the new horror film alongside the likes of Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan, and Josh has admitted to relishing his time on set.He told The Hollywood Reporter: "Everybody was great on this movie, man. It was just one of those communal experiences that you hope to always have when you’re working."Josh particularly loved the experience of working with Julia on the new horror movie.He shared: "People kept saying, ‘You guys are going to love each other and it’s going to be great'. I got nervous then because I kept thinking, well, what if it’s not great? I’m not going to agree to work with someone just because another person tells me that I’m going to like ‘em.

A classroom of elementary school children, all save for one, disappearing into the night at 2:17 am without explanation is merely the opening catalyst for the methodically unfurling insanity in writer/director Zach Cregger’s Weapons. Armed with more confidence and a larger sense of scale, the Barbarian filmmaker expands on his ability to keep audiences on their toes. Not just with horror that’s as savage as it is funny, but with a clever disregard for narrative convention designed to keep you guessing until what’s arguably destined to become one of the year’s most talked about finales.

The story picks up in the immediate aftermath of the bizarre vanishing, leaving the small suburban town of Maybrook completely shaken. The fact that all the students who went missing came from Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) class marks her as a prime suspect, though neither she nor the sole remaining student,...

Barbarian (watch it Here) writer/director Zach Cregger has assembled a strong cast for his mysterious horror project called Weapons, including Julia Garner (Ozark), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), Amy Madigan (Antlers), Austin Abrams (Euphoria), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), and Cary Christopher (Days of Our Lives)… and we’re going to have the chance to see that cast face the horrors Cregger has conjured up when Weapons reaches theatres on August 8th. But that’s not the first cast this movie had. Back in May of 2023, it was announced that Pedro Pascal (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) would be starring in the film alongside Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World). Then, the Screen Actors Guild strike hit in July and lasted until November, and when it ended, scheduling issues forced Cregger to recast the movie.

Cregger told Entertainment Weekly,...