Grammy-winning megastar’s horror debut branded ‘year’s worst movie’ with measly Rotten Tomatoes score

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The horror movie debut of musician and actor The Weeknd has emerged to disappointing returns, taking only $3.3million (£2.4m) in its opening, uh, weeknd in the States.

Four-time Grammy Award-winning musician, producer and actor The Weeknd – real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye – stars as a fictionalised version of himself in the psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Directed by Trey Edward Shults, it follows the star as he teeters on the brink of a mental breakdown, spurred on by his interactions with a mysterious fan, played by Jenna Ortega.

The film, which was co-written by The Weeknd and also stars Barry Keoghan, serves as a companion piece to his 2025 album of the same name.

But while the album debuted to strong word of mouth and even better sales, topping the charts in 16 countries, the film hasn’t had the same kind of traction.

Released in the United States on May 16, it did so to poor reviews and disappointing ticket sales, finishing in sixth place, behind the Final Destination sequel, Sinners and A Minecraft Movie.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Marion Curtis/Starpix for Lionsgate/Shutterstock (15298526r) Abel Tesfaye Lionsgate Presents the New York Premiere of "Hurry Up Tomorrow", AMC Lincoln Square, USA - 14 May 2025 — The Weeknd stars in hallucinatory new psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow (Picture: Lionsgate/Shutterstock)

3B0J2JE Hurry Up Tomorrow The Weeknd — The musician and actor plays a fictionalised version of himself (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

Since its release, the film has racked up a paltry 13% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager describing it as an ‘ego-stroke of monumental hubris that instantly assumes pole position in the race for year’s worst movie.’

Ouch.

Meanwhile, Inverse described it as ‘simply a slog,’ while SlashFilm called it ‘just awful.’

Audiences who had seen the film took to X to share their thoughts, with many describing it as a ‘vanity project’ and a waste of the talents of all involved.

‘hurry up tomorrow movie was so egregiously bad that at one point all 6 people in the theater just started laughing at how stupid it was,’ said 444ybwmoi.

‘Weeknd vanity project wastes the talent in front of, and behind, the camera,’ wrote Twit4java.

‘anyway so i watched Hurry Up Tomorrow and what kind of mess what that,’ said Rydxr.

3B18R4A Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) Jenna Ortega as Anima *Filmstill - Editorial Use Only* see Special Instructions. CAP/TFS Image supplied by Capital Pictures — The film stars Jenna Ortega as fan Anima (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

However, with a 70% Popcornmeter score from fans on Rotten Tomatoes, opinion is far from unified.

‘Unpopular opinion, Abel acting as The Weeknd is good and not the problem with Hurry Up Tomorrow,’ said JoeDorvil.

‘And I hope Abel Tesfaye knows how I’m absolutely proud of him for making his way up to the top for making an outstanding performance on Hurry Up Tomorrow alongside with Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan,’ agreed XOOFLIFE.

‘hurry up tomorrow was a love letter for the FANS. if you’re not XO, you’re simply not going to get it. abel poured his heart and soul into this movie and his passion for this project is so evident. i thoroughly enjoyed it. if you didn’t, you didn’t understand. your loss,’ said whydtry.

This image released by Lionsgate shows Jenna Ortega as Anima, top, and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye as Abel, in a scene from "Hurry Up Tomorrow." (Andrew Cooper/Lionsgate via AP) — The film was based on the star’s own fears (Picture: AP)

In addition to six studio albums – including 2025’s Hurry Up Tomorrow – The Weeknd is also known for starring opposite Lily Rose Depp in the 2023 series The Idol.

The Weeknd played sleazy nightclub owner and self-help guru Tedros, who draws a struggling pop star (Depp) into his cult of personality after she suffers a nervous breakdown.

The show, which he also had a hand in creating, was cancelled after only one series, with many describing it as ‘torture porn’ while others slammed its preponderance of explicit sex scenes.

This image released by Lionsgate shows Barry Keoghan as Lee, left, and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye as Abel in a scene from "Hurry Up Tomorrow." (Andrew Cooper/Lionsgate via AP) — Barry Keoghan stars opposite The Weeknd in the film (Credits: AP)

Comment nowWill you be watching Hurry Up Tomorrow?Comment Now

Hurry Up Tomorrow was inspired by a 2022 incident in which he took to the stage in front of 70,000 fans – only to learn that he’d lost his voice.

‘I saw my doctor, and he said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with you — your [vocal cords] are inflamed, but nothing out of the ordinary,’ he told Variety of his sudden silence.

‘And that’s when we came to the realization that it was all up here.

‘My body, and specifically my voice, had never failed me before. I’d been on stage with a high fever, completely sick; I’d been on stage in the middle of a breakup or a death in the family; and I’d lost my voice during a performance. But I was always able to fight through it… I was defeated on the world stage with everyone watching,’ the musician revealed.

Inspired by this existential crisis, he went on to create Hurry Up Tomorrow, in an attempt to creatively purge his demons, laying them out for all to see… for better and worse.

Hurry Up Tomorrow is out in UK cinemas now.

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