A24’s The Drama: split reviews

A24’s “The Drama” opened in United States theaters on April 3 with a strong debut, even as reviews split sharply over the film’s central twist. (a24films.com) (thewrap.com) (collider.com) The film stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple whose wedding week unravels after what A24 calls “an unexpected turn,” and it was written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli. Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen produced the movie for Square Peg. (a24films.com) (thewrap.com) At the box office, “The Drama” opened to about $14 million to $14.3 million domestically, according to Collider and IndieWire. IndieWire said that made it the No. 2 A24 wide-release opening behind “Civil War,” while Collider described it as the studio’s third-biggest opening overall. (collider.com) (indiewire.com) Early audience data pointed to a young, female-skewing crowd: IndieWire reported that 80 percent of ticket buyers were under 35, 30 percent were ages 18 to 24, and 68 percent were women. The same report said 70 percent of moviegoers cited Zendaya and Pattinson as a reason they bought tickets. (indiewire.com) Critics did not land in one place. Deadline’s review called the movie “darkly funny” and “explosively honest,” while Deadline’s roundup of reviews said the early response was mixed even as many critics agreed on the strength of the two lead performances. (deadline.com 1) (deadline.com 2) Rotten Tomatoes showed a stronger critical consensus than some individual reviews suggested. Deadline reported an 85 percent score on March 31, while Collider reported a 77 percent “Certified Fresh” score after opening weekend, indicating that the rating moved as more reviews were added. (deadline.com) (collider.com) Some of the sharpest criticism focused less on craft than on subject matter and marketing. IndieWire reported that March for Our Lives objected to a campaign that sold the movie as a dark romantic comedy without warning viewers that it involves themes of a school shooting. (indiewire.com) That dispute spilled into the broader reaction to the film’s twist. Collider said online debate split between viewers who saw the reveal as pointed satire and others who found it in poor taste, while USA Today wrote that the story pushes its stars into “moral chaos” during the week of the wedding. (collider.com) (usatoday.com) The result is a film that is selling tickets on star power, secrecy and argument at the same time. Two weeks after release, “The Drama” looks like a commercial hit for A24 and a movie that critics and audiences are still sorting out in public. (indiewire.com) (deadline.com)