In a vacuum, it might be odd to see a poorly reviewed field workplace flop abruptly 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 Competition, boasts a powerful forged, however the actor that basically issues at this time limit is Ayo Edebiri.
“The Bear” simply ended its critically acclaimed five-season run, and, evidently, followers of the sequence 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 evaluations on the 2026 Cannes Movie Competition, and has her subsequent streaming sequence lined up with “Prodigies,” wherein she’ll costar with Will Sharpe.
Whereas we’re ready for these initiatives, individuals are searching for Edebiri gems which may’ve handed them by. That is why “Opus” is at present ranked fifth at HBO Max (over “Superman,” which was purported to get a bump from the discharge of the sadly underwhelming “Supergirl”). Whereas Inexperienced’s movie has an intriguing premise, it might 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 because of the presence of the musician’s cult followers, who costume in denim uniforms and reside by the tenets of a guide devoted to a perception known as Levelism. The company 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 purpose to be as a shock jock visitor performed by Mark Sivertsen is attacked and beheaded early of their keep. As extra company 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 inexpensive 103 minutes, so in the event you want an Edebiri repair, it at the very least will not be time consuming. My huge takeaway right here: if Edebiri is spiking streaming scores like this, her asking worth must be going approach up.
