HBO Max has set premiere dates for two of A24‘s recent genre films, Opus and Death of a Unicorn.
Opus streams July 11 and debuts on HBO linear on July 12 at 8pm ET, while Death of a Unicorn streams July 25 and hits HBO on July 26 at 8pm ET.
In Opus, a young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.
The satirical horror-thriller marks the feature debut of writer-director Mark Anthony Green.
Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich star with Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Young Mazino, Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, and Tony Hale.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “Opus is at its best when it’s a campy satire of pop culture, led by two powerhouse performances, but it utterly fails as a genre exercise.”
In Death of a Unicorn, a father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
Produced by Ari Aster (Midsommar, Hereditary), the fantastical nightmare comedy marks the feature debut of writer-director Alex Scharfman.
Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant star. Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes, and Stephen Park round out the cast.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “The idea behind Death of a Unicorn is a novel one, and Scharfman’s commitment to over-the-top spectacle is commendable. But seeing the greedy elite get taken down in brutal, gory fashion should be far more satisfying than this is.”