To describe Abel Tesfaye, better known by his moniker The Weeknd, as merely off-key in his latest cinematic endeavor would be a gross understatement. "Hurry Up Tomorrow," a psychological thriller where Tesfaye stars as a troubled pop star, premiered over the May 16-18 weekend to a disappointing domestic take of just $3.3 million from 2,020 theaters. Despite Tesfaye's status as one of music's top-selling superstars, the film landed in sixth place. Internationally, it fared similarly, garnering roughly $3 million.
Heading into the weekend, the $15 million film was anticipated to open between $5 million and $9 million in North America. However, brutal reviews—scoring just 14% on Rotten Tomatoes—combined with devastating word-of-mouth, sank the title. The film, financed by Live Nation and distributed by Lionsgate as a companion piece to The Weeknd's album of the same name, struggled to gain traction.
Often, films that receive harsh criticism from reviewers can still appeal to general moviegoers. Not so in this case. Exit scores were equally dismal, including a one-and-a-half-star rating out of five on Comscore PostTrak and a paltry "C-" on CinemaScore. Even Rotten Tomatoes' audience popcornmeter score only reached 68%, despite Tesfaye's millions of fans who have eagerly followed his every musical victory. They simply did not connect with the film, much like they failed to resonate with showrunner Sam Levinson's controversial "The Idol," which was axed by HBO after just one season. Tesfaye developed that project with Levinson and also starred as a musician, co-starring alongside Lily-Rose Depp as a shady nightclub owner.
"Hurry Up Tomorrow" is not the only 2025 original release to falter with audiences. Alongside "Mickey 17," "Last Breath," "Novocaine," and "Black Bag," original films have generally struggled to connect with moviegoers. If the concept or marketing doesn't resonate for whatever reason, it becomes incredibly challenging to make headway at the box office," says Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "Of course, 'Sinners' was a notable exception, benefiting from Michael B. Jordan's reunion with Ryan Coogler and stellar reviews across the board, making it immune to the curse of original intellectual property that has plagued many films this year."
Many moviegoers have lambasted "Hurry Up Tomorrow" as merely an elongated promotional vehicle for Tesfaye's eponymous album, which was released amidst the tragic Los Angeles fires in January this year, marking his departure from the moniker "The Weeknd." Frank Scheck, a reviewer for The Hollywood Reporter, penned, "This narratively ambiguous film, frequently veering into surrealism and plagued by symbolism, primarily delves into the existential angst of its protagonist, triggered by a recent breakup with his girlfriend (voiced by Riley Keough)."
In terms of audience demographics, whites comprised 39%, Latinos 38%, African Americans 12%, Asians 8%, and Native Americans/others accounting for 5%. Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan also star in "Hurry Up Tomorrow," directed by Trey Edward Shults, with a screenplay co-written by him, Tesfaye, and Reza Fayhim. In the film, Tesfaye portrays a fictionalized version of himself, or more precisely, a musician on the brink of a mental breakdown and nearly silenced by a breakup (with a storyline loosely based on real events).
Lionsgate and its partners assert that "Hurry Up Tomorrow" presents a unique convergence of the cinematic and musical worlds. For Lionsgate, the film promises profitability, thanks to distribution fees and other financing arrangements. In distributing the film, Lionsgate collaborated closely with key players such as The Weeknd's partners at Republic Records, his XO label, Manic Phase Productions, Live Nation, and CAA, bridging the gap between the film's team and its fans, and capturing the attention of those who followed his "After Hours Til Dawn" tour.
