The first acclaimed horror movie of the year will begin streaming exclusively on Max next week. New Line Cinema's Companion, starring Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) and Jack Quaid (Novocaine), drops globally on Friday, April 18, followed by its linear debut on HBO on Saturday, April 19.
Written and directed by Drew Hancock in his feature directorial debut, Companion received praise for its deranged love story, clever twists, and compelling performances from its lead actors.
In Companion, Thatcher plays Iris, a humanoid robot designed to be the ultimate "companion" to whoever she belongs to. Her boyfriend Josh (Quaid) invites her on a weekend getaway to a lakeside estate with his friends, including another human/robot couple.
When Iris is later cornered by one of Jack's "friends" and kills him in self-defense, she finally learns that she is an artificially intelligent construct, forcing her to confront the reality of her situation as the weekend spirals into chaos. Iris finds herself in a fight for her life.
4 horror movies to watch if you loved Companion
Companion comes from the producing team behind Barbarian. Zach Cregger himself served as a producer on the project. Cregger was originally going to direct but lobbied for New Line to give Hancock the opportunity.
The film received an R rating for strong violence, sexual content, and language. Companion underperformed at the box office, earning $36.7 million on a $10 million budget. However, some experts believe that's because Warner Bros. didn't invest enough in the marketing and because the film was only exclusive to theaters for a little over two weeks before getting rushed to digital.
The film was released theatrically this past January, followed by a digital release on February 18 and a physical release on April 1. So, if you don't want to wait until next week to stream Companion on Max, it's already available to rent or buy. Thatcher also stars in another recent horror movie, Heretic, which is now available on Max.
Companion begins streaming on Max on Friday, April 18.