Opus (film)

Last updated

Opus
Opus poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMark Anthony Green
Written byMark Anthony Green
Produced by
  • Collin Creighton
  • Brad Weston
  • Poppy Hanks
  • Jelani Johnson
  • Mark Anthony Green
  • Josh Bachove
Starring
CinematographyTommy Maddox-Upshaw
Edited byErnie Gilbert
Music by
Production
companies
  • Makeready
  • MACRO
Distributed by A24
Release dates
  • January 27, 2025 (2025-1-27)(Sundance)
  • March 14, 2025 (2025-3-14)(United States)
Running time
104 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million [2]

Opus is a 2025 American thriller [3] film written and directed by Mark Anthony Green in his feature directorial debut. [4] It stars Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Young Mazino, Stephanie Suganami, and Tatanka Means. [5] [6]

Contents

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2025, and it was theatrically released by A24 on March 14, 2025.

Plot

90s pop superstar Alfred Moretti comes out of retirement to announce his new album, creating a media firestorm. Moretti invites six guests to attend at a listening party at his Utah compound: journalist Ariel and her boss Stan, talk show host Clara, influencer Emily, paparazzi Bianca and radio shock jock Bill. Upon arriving at the compound, it becomes apparent that Moretti is part of a cult. Calling themselves 'Levelists', the other occupants at Moretti's compound wear identical uniforms and behave strangely. While Moretti wins over the other guests, Ariel is suspicious and starts to investigate the cult. That night, while having a massage, Bill is killed by a group of Levelists.

Moretti assigns a Levelist to act as each guest's concierge. Ariel's concierge, Belle, follows her constantly throughout the compound as she explores. Ariel discusses ideology with Moretti, and he shows her a tradition where Levelists shuck oysters to find pearls to make a necklace. The Levelists give the guests a makeover which includes shaving their pubic hair before taking them to a private performance from Moretti. During the performance, Emily has a coughing fit and is escorted away. Ariel grows alarmed by the Levelists and Bill's disapperance and expresses her concerns to Stan who dismisses her, even when he is accidentally shot with an arrow. Ariel sneaks out of her room and away from Belle to explore the compound. She finds a barn filled with dead animals, although she does not notice Bill's corpse in the barn. Ariel confronts Moretti and asks to leave. Moretti agrees but asks that she attend a children's puppet show with the others while the bus is prepared.

The puppet show depicts a group of rats representing journalists, critics, and paparazzi harassing Billie Holliday. The beanbag chair Ariel is sitting on suddenly moves, and Emily emerges from it, her face and tongue horrifically swelled from a chemical she has ingested. As Emily suffocates to death, the Levelists attack the group, stabbing Stan and Bianca to death. Ariel flees to a house made into a museum about Moretti. Inside, she finds Bill's severed head, cyanide, and champagne, suggesting Moretti and the Levelists plan to commit mass suicide. After a fight with Belle, Ariel is knocked unconscious. Awakening, tied to a chair with Clara, Ariel watches as Moretti and the Levelists drink the poisoned champagne. Clara is also forced to drink. A sympathetic Levelist frees Ariel. In the confusion, Moretti is set on fire, and Ariel manages to drive away from the compound.

Two years later, Ariel has written a successful book about her experience at the compound. Moretti is imprisoned for the murders of Stan, Clara, Emily, Bianca and Bill although the bodies of the Levelists are missing. Moretti asks to talk to Ariel. At the prison, Moretti explains he wanted revenge against those who criticise artists and stop creativity. He also reveals that the Levelists are all still alive and hiding amongst society, spreading the teachings. He thanks Ariel for spreading his ideology with her book and says her escape had been planned. At a TV interview, Ariel notices the host wearing a pearl necklace like the Levelists would make.

Cast

Production

Filming began in Pojoaque, New Mexico in November 2023. [8]

Music

The film features original music written by Nile Rodgers and The-Dream. [9] [10]

Release

Opus premiered in the Midnight section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2025; and is scheduled to be released on March 14, 2025 by A24. [11] [12]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Opus was released alongside Novocaine and Black Bag , and is projected to gross $2–4 million from 1,300 theaters in its opening weekend. [2]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 39% of 70 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10.The website's consensus reads: "John Malkovich is clearly having a ball playing a nefarious pop musician, but unfortunately the rest of Opus is too conceptually confused for the star's fun to be infectious." [13] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [14]

References

  1. "Opus (15)". British Board of Film Classification . March 3, 2025. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca (March 12, 2025). "Box Office: Jack Quaid's 'Novocaine' Aims to Dethrone 'Mickey 17' With $10 Million Debut". Variety . Retrieved March 12, 2025.
  3. Travis, Ben (January 22, 2025). "Opus Trailer: Ayo Edebiri Investigates A Legendary Pop Star's Cult In A24 Thriller". Empire. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  4. Grobar, Matt (November 8, 2023). "Ayo Edebiri & John Malkovich To Topline A24 Horror 'Opus'; Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder & Others Also Aboard, With Juliette Lewis In Talks". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  5. Brown, Scott (November 30, 2023). "Feature film "Opus" now in production in Albuquerque". KRQE. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  6. Geisinger, Gabriella (November 30, 2023). "'Opus' starring Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, and more begins production". Screen Global Production . Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Gomez, Adrian (November 29, 2023). "And we're rolling: A24 production, 'Opus,' being filmed in Albuquerque, Pojoaque". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  8. "John Malkovich starring in 'Opus' filming in Pojoaque". The Santa Fe New Mexican. November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  9. "No Cult Like Celebrity". X (formerly Twitter). A24.
  10. "No Cult Like Celebrity". Nile Rodgers.
  11. D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  12. "Opus (2025)" . Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  13. "Opus". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 14, 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  14. "Opus". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 14, 2025.