Paul Rudd & Jenna Ortega's Box Office Flop Is A Streaming Hit One Year Later
Not every flop finds a second life on streaming, but that's what's happening with "Death of A Unicorn." The horror comedy starring film and TV star Jenna Ortega and "Ant-Man" actor Paul Rudd climbed into the top ten charts for HBO Max on June 1, 2026, proving its worth after failing to make much of an impact at the box office last summer. The A24 movie flopped upon its release, eventually pulling in just $16 million worldwide on an estimated $15 million budget. Why is the dark fairytale suddenly catching fire with fans now? The continued popularity of Rudd and Ortega might be an influence on the flick's burst of streaming desirability, or perhaps audiences are just looking for something unique and original. Any way you slice it, it's proof that any film can become a hit in time with distance and good word of mouth.
"Death of a Unicorn" focuses on Ridley Kintner (Ortega) and her father, Elliot (Rudd), who accidentally injure a unicorn on their way to a weekend vacation with Elliot's boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), and his family, which includes his wife, Belinda (Téa Leoni), and his grown son, Shepard (Will Poulter). Elliot seemingly kills the unicorn and hides it in his trunk. The animal's body is soon discovered by the Leopolds, right after the Kinters realize its blood has magical healing properties. Leopold decides to experiment on the beast, removing its horn to grind it up. It turns out the powdered horn is a cure-all for human ailments, including cancer. However, the unicorn's still alive — and it's not the only one of its kind roaming the wilds nearby.
Critics had mixed feelings about Death of a Unicorn
Critical reaction to "Death of a Unicorn" was, in a word, mixed. Some thought the movie was just too out-there for its own good, while others said that the film's surreal combination of blood, guts, fantasy, and comedy was irresistible. That might explain why it stands at 52% on the Tomatometer, a rating that indicates how deeply divided the reviewers ended up being. But what did they have to say about it?
On the negative side of things, some critics claimed the movie was bland and that the characters weren't realistic enough to evoke emotion. Writing for The Times, Kevin Maher questioned why Ortega's character struck such a different tone to those around her. "Ortega, as Elliot's disaffected daughter Ridley, seems to have wandered on to the set from a different and far more subtle movie about grief and adolescence and she hasn't yet received the memo that this film, instead, is appalling," he said.
Yet, plenty of critics thought "Death of a Unicorn" was lively and funny, with Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com giving it a solid 3/4 rating. "A movie that recalls monster flicks from the '70s and '80s with brutal quality kills placed in a tapestry of social commentary and funny characters," he wrote. Ortega and Paul Rudd also earned plenty of plaudits from critics, who found them to be a credible father-daughter duo. With so many conflicting responses out there, viewers might want to jump in and stream the film on HBO Max to find out where their loyalties lie.