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Zach Cregger’s horror flick ‘Weapons’ sets HBO Max release date — and it’s perfectly timed for Halloween

Zach Cregger’s box office smash ‘Weapons’ hits HBO Max this October, just in time to haunt your Halloween with its eerie mystery and shocking twists

Halloween is coming early to HBO Max. After dominating theaters this summer, Zach Cregger’s chilling thriller ‘Weapons’ is officially set to hit the streamer on Friday, October 24, perfectly timed for the spooky season. The film, which became one of the most surprising horror successes of the year, marks Cregger’s follow-up to his breakout 2022 hit ‘Barbarian.’ Released in theaters on August 8, ‘Weapons’ quickly turned into a word-of-mouth phenomenon. Early preview screenings began at 2.17 pm, a clever nod to the film’s haunting central mystery: the exact time when an entire class of third graders vanishes without a trace.

As the story unfolds, surveillance footage reveals that every child awoke in the middle of the night, calmly left their homes at 2.17 am, and walked into the woods, never to return. What follows is a nerve-shredding exploration of paranoia and fear that consumes a small town. Parents, teachers, and police scramble to understand what happened and why one child mysteriously remained behind. Cregger brings psychological horror with societal commentary. The result is a slow-burning yet relentless descent into chaos, packed with unsettling twists and an ending that left audiences reeling. At the box office, ‘Weapons’ proved that original horror is still alive and thriving.

The film opened to a strong $43 million domestically and crossed the $100 million mark by its third weekend. As per Variety, it ultimately earned more than $260 million worldwide. That performance not only shattered expectations but also dwarfed the lifetime gross of Cregger’s debut ‘Barbarian,’ which earned around $45 million globally. Its runaway success made ‘Weapons’ one of Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema’s biggest hits of the year. The cast is stacked with talent, led by Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and Alden Ehrenreich, alongside Amy Madigan, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, June Diane Raphael, and Cary Christopher, who makes his big-screen debut.

Their performances anchor the film’s eerie realism, grounding its supernatural premise in human emotion and panic. Produced by Cregger, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz, and Raphael Margules, the film comes from New Line Cinema in collaboration with Subconscious, Vertigo Entertainment, and BoulderLight Pictures. The creative team’s meticulous attention to detail helped make ‘Weapons’ one of the most talked-about horror experiences of the summer. Following the film’s runaway success, Cregger has wasted no time lining up his next terrifying project.

The filmmaker is set to direct a new ‘Resident Evil’ movie for Sony Pictures, reuniting with actor Austin Abrams for the adaptation of the iconic video game series. However, according to TheWrap, Cregger has hinted that he already has ideas brewing for a ‘Weapons’ sequel, suggesting that this eerie urban legend may not be over just yet. And now, with its streaming debut arriving right before Halloween, audiences who missed it in theaters, or those brave enough for a second watch, will soon get the chance to experience its haunting power from the safety of their couches.