In a vacuum, it will be odd to see a poorly reviewed field workplace flop instantly rocket up HBO Max’s streaming charts, however the timing could not be higher for Mark Anthony Inexperienced’s “Opus.” His unusual showbiz thriller, which debuted on the 2025 Sundance Movie Pageant, boasts a powerful forged, however the actor that actually issues at this cut-off date is Ayo Edebiri.
“The Bear” simply ended its critically acclaimed five-season run, and, evidently, followers of the collection are hungry for extra Edebiri. I am unable to blame them. She’s a reliably sensible performer who elevates each movie or present that is fortunate to have her, and appears to be on the verge of superstardom (which ought to’ve already occurred by way of the uproariously humorous “Bottoms”). She’ll subsequent be seen in Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri’s “Mrs Dalloway” adaptation “Clarissa,” which obtained rave critiques on the 2026 Cannes Movie Pageant, and has her subsequent streaming collection lined up with “Prodigies,” wherein she’ll costar with Will Sharpe.
Whereas we’re ready for these tasks, individuals are in search of Edebiri gems that may’ve handed them by. That is why “Opus” is at present ranked fifth at HBO Max (over “Superman,” which was speculated to get a bump from the discharge of the sadly underwhelming “Supergirl”). Whereas Inexperienced’s movie has an intriguing premise, it could not ship what Edebiri’s followers crave.
Ayo Edebiri goes head-to-head with a crazed John Malkovich in Opus
“Opus” is Inexperienced’s function debut, and he is mined his journalism background (he was an editor for GQ) for a thriller starring Edebiri as Ariel Ecton, {a magazine} profile author who, together with different media sorts, has been summoned to the Utah compound of reclusive pop star Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich). Moretti is about to launch his first new album in 30 years, however the vibes are instantly off as a result of presence of the musician’s cult followers, who gown in denim uniforms and reside by the tenets of a guide devoted to a perception referred to as Levelism. The visitors are all given copies of the Levelist bible, and are every assigned a Levelist chaperone.
Ariel is very suspicious of the Levelists, and she or he has good cause to be as a shock jock visitor performed by Mark Sivertsen is attacked and beheaded early of their keep. As extra visitors start to vanish, Ariel calls for to depart. She’s restrained by her Levelist watcher (Amber Midthunder), at which level her life seems to be in jeopardy, too.
Whereas /Movie’s Invoice Bria discovered “Opus” to be too predictable, he had excessive reward for Edebiri’s efficiency, and thought she was a terrific foil for a very intense Malkovich. The movie runs an affordable 103 minutes, so for those who want an Edebiri repair, it no less than will not be time consuming. My massive takeaway right here: if Edebiri is spiking streaming rankings like this, her asking value must be going approach up.
