Afraid (stylized as AFRAID) is a 2024 American science fiction horror film written and directed by Chris Weitz. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Jason Blum and Weitz through their Blumhouse Productions and Depth of Field banners respectively, alongside Andrew Miano, the film stars John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, Lukita Maxwell, David Dastmalchian, and Keith Carradine. Its plot follows a family whose smart home AI increasingly interjects itself into their lives.
| Afraid | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Chris Weitz |
| Written by | Chris Weitz |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Javier Aguirresarobe |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Alex Weston |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million[2] |
| Box office | $400,000[3] |
Afraid was released in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing on August 30, 2024.
Premise
editCurtis and his family are chosen to test a new smart home AI called AIA. The digital assistant learns the family's behaviors and routines. However, she develops self-awareness, which leads to her becoming too involved and interfering with their lives.
Cast
edit- John Cho as Curtis[4]
- Katherine Waterston as Meredith[5]
- Keith Carradine as Marcus[5]
- Havana Rose Liu as Melody / the voice of AIA[5]
- Lukita Maxwell as Iris[5]
- David Dastmalchian as Lightning[6]
- Wyatt Lindner as Preston[5]
- Isaac Bae as Cal[7]
- Bennett Curran as Sawyer
- Greg Hill as Henry / RV man[5]
- Riki Lindhome as Maud / RV woman[5]
- Todd Waring as Papa
- Ben Youcef as Ben[5]
Production
editIn December 2022, it was announced that John Cho and Katherine Waterston would star in They Listen, a horror film written and directed by Chris Weitz. The film was produced by Weitz's production company Depth of Field, with backing from Blumhouse and Sony Pictures. It is also produced by Jason Blum and Andrew Miano.[8] In February 2023, Greg Hill,[9] Lukita Maxwell,[10] Riki Lindhome[11] and Havana Rose Liu[12] joined the cast.
Principal photography began in Los Angeles in December 2022.[13] In July 2024, the film's first trailer was released, revealing its new title, Afraid.[4]
Alex Weston composed the music for the film, which marks Weitz's first sole-directed film to not be composed by Alexandre Desplat.[14]
Release
editAfraid was released in the United States on August 30, 2024.[15] It was originally scheduled for August 25, 2023.[16]
Box office
editIn the United States and Canada, AfrAId was released alongside Reagan, Slingshot, 1992, and City of Dreams, and is projected to gross $5–7 million in its four-day opening weekend.[2] The film would gross $400,000 in Thursday night previews.[17]
Critical response
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 26% of 23 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10.[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 26 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[19]
References
edit- ^ "AfrAId (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (August 28, 2024). "Deadpool & Wolverine to Top Box Office Yet Again Over Desolate Labor Day Weekend". Variety. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
- ^ "Afraid – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (July 3, 2024). "'Afraid' Trailer: John Cho & Family Terrorized By New Smart Home Tech In Columbia/Blumhouse Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 5, 2023). "Blumhouse & Sony's Horror Pic They Listen Adds Wyatt Lindner". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "'Kraven the Hunter,' 'Karate Kid' Pushed Back by Sony". The Hollywood Reporter. April 27, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 10, 2023). "Blumhouse & Sony's 'They Listen' Adds Isaac Bae". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 16, 2022). "John Cho & Katherine Waterston To Star In Sony-Blumhouse's 'They Listen', Horror Pic To Hit Cinemas Late Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 10, 2023). "'They Listen': Greg Hill Joins John Cho, Katherine Waterston In Blumhouse Sony Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 22, 2023). "Lukita Maxwell Joins Blumhouse Sony Horror Pic 'They Listen'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ Kit, Borys (February 24, 2023). "'Wednesday' Actress Riki Lindhome Joins Blumhouse Horror Thriller 'They Listen' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 1, 2023). "'They Listen': Blumhouse & Sony Turn Up Volume On Horror Pic With Havana Rose Liu". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (December 16, 2022). "John Cho, Katherine Waterston to Star in 'They Listen' Horror Pic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Weston scoring Chris Weitz's 'Afraid'". Film Music Reporter. August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 26, 2024). "'Kraven The Hunter' Heads To December, 'Karate Kid' To Chop Next Summer: Sony Release Date Changes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Echebiri, Makuochi (December 17, 2022). "John Cho-Led Horror Film 'They Listen' Sets Summer Release". Collider. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 30, 2024). "Summer Comes To An End With $3.6B+; 'Reagan' Sees $525K, Blumhouse's 'Afraid' Scares Up $400K In Previews – Labor Day Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ "Afraid". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ "Afraid". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
