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Contrary to what some mainstream sources might claim, horror is a perennially popular movie genre and has been practically since cinema began. As such, it’s typically not big news that a horror film is successful; one of the reasons that the genre has enjoyed such lasting popularity is thanks to filmmakers being able to do a lot with a little, keeping budgets down low enough to turn a profit thanks to a killer premise, a couple of buzzy moments, and so on. Every so often, however, there comes a legitimate phenomenon within the genre, a movie which marks a new watershed moment for horror and cinema history in general. Films like “The Exorcist,” “Halloween,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Get Out,” for example. It’s these movies that don’t just please the horror faithful, they also act almost like ambassadors for the genre itself, bringing it to an even wider range of viewers.<\/p>\n
2025’s “Weapons” is, at this point, unequivocally one of these horror movies. If the film’s $267.5 million box office take didn’t make that clear enough<\/a>, the fact that it’s currently the #1 movie streaming on HBO Max (via FlixPatrol<\/a>) should put any debate about its success into a permanent trance. Of course, it only makes sense that a popular horror film released in theaters in the summer would get a boost on streaming at the height of the Halloween season, but the reach of “Weapons” goes beyond a flash in the pan trend. Writer\/director Zach Cregger’s movie has permeated pop culture so deeply that its influence is only just beginning. Given this streaming success on top of the film’s theatrical victory, I’d be willing to bet that we’re witnessing “Weapons” transform into a new pillar of horror movie culture.<\/p>\n