Jenna Ortega’s Horror Flop Is Suddenly a Streaming Hit
Box-office dud to streaming smash: Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd’s dark fantasy horror-comedy Death of a Unicorn is galloping to success on HBO Max after flopping in theaters last year.
Every so often a movie faceplants in theaters and then quietly blows up once it hits streaming. That is exactly what just happened with Death of a Unicorn, the Jenna Ortega/Paul Rudd dark fantasy horror-comedy where, yes, a unicorn meets a car. It underperformed on the big screen last year, but it is suddenly surging on HBO Max.
So how big is big?
As of January 30, 2026, Death of a Unicorn is the #5 movie on HBO Max, according to FlixPatrol. It is also charting at either #1, #2, or #3 across a bunch of Latin American markets, including Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Mexico. (The original note called them South American countries, which is not exactly how geography works, but you get the point: it is traveling.)
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The box office vs. the algorithm
In theaters, Death of a Unicorn pulled in an estimated $16.4 million worldwide on a reported $15 million budget. That is... not great. Reviews were middling too: 52% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, while audiences were kinder at 76%. Over on Metacritic, it sits at a 51 Metascore with a 5.6 user rating — officially in that 'mixed or average' zone. Streaming, however, seems to be where it found its people.
What the movie actually is
The setup is wonderfully bizarre. A father-daughter duo, Elliot and Ridley, are headed to a weekend retreat at Elliot's billionaire boss's estate in the Canadian Rockies. On the drive up, they accidentally hit and kill a unicorn. The boss? He immediately sees dollar signs and wants to harvest the creature's magical remains. It is a pitch that sounds like a bit, but the movie plays it as a dark, deadpan fairy tale smashed into corporate satire.
Who made it and who is in it
Writer-director Alex Scharfman is behind the camera, and he also produced alongside Theresa Steele Page, Lars Knudsen, Lucas Joaquin, Drew Houpt, Tim Headington, and Tyler Campellone. Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd lead the cast, with Will Poulter, David Pasquesi, Anthony Carrigan, Richard E. Grant, Tea Leoni, and Jessica Hynes rounding things out.
Bottom line
Death of a Unicorn may have stumbled out of the gate, but on HBO Max it is punching way above its theatrical weight. Sometimes a movie just needs the right couch, the right weekend, and, apparently, a unicorn.