Info in Movie News | Death of a Unicorn has officially completed first 10 days in theaters, bringing in $10 million domestically. While that’s not a bad number, it’s still less than the movie's reported production budget of $15 million — and things aren’t looking great for this A24 horror-comedy.
On paper, the movie had all the right ingredients. It stars Jenna Ortega, fresh off her buzz from Wednesday and the upcoming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and comedy veteran Paul Rudd, best known for his roles in Marvel movis and countless comedies. But even with these two fan-favorites front and center, Death of a Unicorn hasn’t managed to draw a big crowd.
Notwithstanding the movie’s hardships, Jenna Ortega remains one of Hollywood’s most talented young actors. By delivering impressive acts in both Wednesday and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, she has shown she can go to great lengths and still be the person that audiences adore. If she can stay grounded and maintain consistency in her role choices, there’s little doubt she could become one of the defining actresses of her generation.
This past weekend, the movie brought in just $2.7 million and landed in fifth place at the box office, trailing behind Snow White, The Chosen: Last Supper - Part 2, A Working Man, and A Minecraft Movie, which opened to a record-breaking debut.
The lukewarm response from both critics and audiences may be one reason why. The movie currently holds a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Collider’s Nate Richard commented that the movie “wears its absurdity as a badge of honor,” but ultimately doesn’t aim to be anything deeper or more complex — a creative direction that may not resonate with moviegoers looking for something more substantial or worth the price of a ticket.
The underperformance of Death of a Unicorn also adds to a rough patch for A24 this year. The studio recently saw another misfire with the thriller Opus, which earned less than $3 million despite a strong cast including Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich. That’s a sharp contrast to A24’s solid 2024 lineup, which included hits like Civil War, Heretic, and We Live in Time.
Other than that, A24 also has other ammo lined up for release later this year, including Warfare, which hits theaters next week (April 11, 2025). Whether it can turn things around and bring the studio back on a winning streak is still up in the air — but hopes are definitely high.
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