New Movies: Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) by Trey Edward Shults: A Fictionalized Descent into a Pop Star's Psyche
- dailyentertainment95
- Jun 6
- 12 min read
Hurry Up Tomorrow is a psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults, co-written by and starring Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye as a fictionalized version of himself. It serves as a companion to Tesfaye's album of the same name, exploring themes of depression, loneliness, and the dark side of fame. The film follows Tesfaye's character as he grapples with personal turmoil and is pulled into an existential odyssey by a mysterious, obsessive fan, blurring lines between reality, artistic persona, and psychological torment.
Short Summary
Hurry Up Tomorrow delves into the psychological unraveling of a pop superstar, played by Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, who faces depression and the pressures of fame. After losing his voice onstage, he encounters a mysterious, obsessive fan who pulls him into a bizarre and increasingly dangerous existential journey. The film blurs the lines between reality and delusion, exploring the artist's psyche and his struggle with his public persona in a visually striking, yet often criticized, narrative.
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26927452/
About movie: https://www.hurryuptomorrow.movie/
Link to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/hurry-up-tomorrow (US), https://athome.fandango.com/content/browse/details/Hurry-Up-Tomorrow/4216863?cmp=rt_leaderboard (US)
Detailed Summary
Trey Edward Shults' Hurry Up Tomorrow is a psychological thriller that acts as a companion piece to Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye's 2025 album of the same name, with Tesfaye starring as a fictionalized version of himself. The film begins with Tesfaye's character, a music superstar, struggling with deep depression and insomnia, exacerbated by a recent breakup and a sudden loss of his voice during a concert. This real-life incident experienced by Tesfaye is a key inspiration for the narrative. His world takes a dark turn when he encounters Anima (Jenna Ortega), a mysterious and increasingly obsessive fan, who pulls him into an unsettling and at times violent existential odyssey. The narrative intertwines scenes of performance and celebrity life with surreal, dreamlike sequences, particularly after Anima takes Tesfaye's character hostage. The film delves into his struggles with toxic relationships, self-destruction, and the blurring boundaries between his personal identity and his performing persona as The Weeknd, ultimately leading to a confrontation where he is forced to confront his inner demons.
Plot Summary
Artist in Crisis: The film opens with Abel Tesfaye's fictionalized superstar character struggling with profound depression, insomnia, and the pressures of fame, culminating in him losing his voice mid-concert, mirroring a real-life event experienced by The Weeknd.
Encounter with Anima: After abandoning the stage, Abel encounters Anima, an enigmatic and obsessed fan. Intrigued, he spends the night with her, exploring Los Angeles and sharing intimate moments.
Revelation and Escalation: Anima breaks down after Abel plays a portion of the titular song, relating to its themes of loneliness. The next day, Abel overhears Anima arguing about an arson incident, and when he tries to leave, she aggressively prevents him, demanding he emotionally open up.
Hostage Situation and Nightmare: Anima knocks Abel unconscious with a champagne bottle, leading to a vivid nightmare sequence where Abel confronts his childhood self. He wakes up tied to a hotel bed, where Anima dances to his songs and demands explanations for his recurring lyrical themes of toxic relationships.
Violent Confrontation: Abel's manager, Lee (Barry Keoghan), arrives, tracking Abel's phone. Anima confronts Lee, and after a violent struggle, fatally stabs him.
Climax and Resolution: Anima then douses Abel with gasoline, threatening to burn him if he doesn't open up. Abel finally speaks, pacifying her by singing "Hurry Up Tomorrow." The film concludes ambiguously with a burning hotel room and Abel walking out alone, leaving the existence of Lee and Anima open to interpretation as manifestations of his psyche.
Director's Vision
Trey Edward Shults, known for his emotionally charged and visually striking narratives (e.g., Waves, It Comes at Night), collaborated with Abel Tesfaye and Reza Fahim to craft Hurry Up Tomorrow. His vision for the film includes:
A "One-of-a-Kind Experience": Shults aimed to create an evocative, immersive, and unique cinematic experience that challenges conventional storytelling.
Cerebral and Psychological Depth: The film is designed as a "cerebral thriller" exploring the inner depths characters plunge into when fueled by grief and loss.
Blending Music and Cinema: Music is integral, driving the emotional and narrative experience, mirroring the characters' internal struggles, and allowing sound to be a storytelling device.
Exploring Vulnerability: The film is intended to be a catalyst for conversations about mental health and vulnerabilities that society often avoids, taking audiences on a "menacing odyssey of a tormented artist."
Ambiguity and Interpretation: Rather than a traditional linear narrative, Shults invites audiences to interpret and engage with the film on a deeper level, particularly regarding the fluidity of reality and the boundaries of self-destruction.
Visual and Technical Prowess: Shults emphasizes vivid, memorable visuals, striking cinematography with high contrast and vibrant colors, elaborate camera movements, and skillful editing to enhance the psychological aspect. He explicitly mentioned Bergman's Persona as an influence for its riveted, multi-layered interpretation.
Incorporating Sleep Paralysis: Tesfaye's personal experiences with sleep paralysis were a direct source of inspiration for the film's horrifying, vivid nightmares, a concept Shults was keen to utilize.
Themes
Identity and Persona: The film explores the blurring lines between Abel Tesfaye's real identity and his constructed "The Weeknd" persona, and the struggle to reconcile the two under public scrutiny.
Mental Health and Depression: Abel's character grapples with deep depression, insomnia, and psychological stress, using the film to delve into the artist's tormented mind and internal conflicts.
Obsession and Fandom: The character of Anima embodies dangerous, obsessive fandom, highlighting the potential dark side of celebrity worship and the intrusion into an artist's personal life.
Toxic Relationships: The film frequently references and explores themes of toxic relationships with women, particularly through Abel's song lyrics, which Anima analyzes.
Self-Destruction and Redemption: The narrative delves into the protagonist's self-destructive tendencies and his journey towards a potential, albeit ambiguous, form of redemption.
Reality vs. Illusion: The psychological thriller elements play with perception, making the audience question what is real and what is a hallucination or manifestation of Abel's psyche.
Artistic Expression and Trauma: The film acts as a metaphorical exploration of how an artist processes personal trauma and mental health struggles through their creative work, linking it directly to Tesfaye's music trilogy.
Key Success Factors
Star Power and Collaborative Vision: The combination of visionary director Trey Edward Shults and global music superstar Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye (in his first leading film role) creates significant buzz and attracts both film and music fans.
Strong Lead Performances: Despite a criticized script, Jenna Ortega delivers a "passionate, singular performance," and Tesfaye provides "excellent and emotive moments," showcasing their acting prowess, particularly in the film's final act.
Unique Multimedia Experience: The film's direct connection as a companion piece to The Weeknd's album creates a unique, cross-medium artistic endeavor that appeals to fans invested in his broader creative universe.
Striking Visuals and Technical Craft: Shults' renowned technical adeptness, including "skillfully edited" sequences, "striking" cinematography, and "vibrant colors," ensures the film is aesthetically compelling, even when the narrative falters.
Exploration of an Artist's Psyche: For audiences interested in the dark side of fame and the psychological struggles of public figures, the film offers an intimate, albeit fictionalized, look into a tormented artist's mind.
Awards and Nominations
As of June 2025, Hurry Up Tomorrow is a very recent release. While its initial critical reception has been highly unfavorable, the film's cast members have received notable past nominations: Jenna Ortega is a Primetime Emmy® Award Nominee (for Wednesday, 2023), and Barry Keoghan is an Academy Award® Nominee (for The Banshees of Inisherin, 2022). Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) himself is a Grammy®-winning, Oscar®- and Primetime Emmy®-nominated recording artist. While the film itself has not yet garnered significant awards or nominations, the individual talents involved have a history of industry recognition.
Critics Reception
Hurry Up Tomorrow has been met with largely negative critical reception upon its release, with low scores on major aggregators:
Rotten Tomatoes: It holds a low score of 17% among critics.
Metacritic: It has a score of 29, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."
Entertainment Weekly: Jordan Hoffman described the film as "nearly plot-free, self-indulgent, overly serious, and, worst of all, just dull."
The Toronto Star: Alexander Mooney stated the film was "remarkable in its ceaseless and shameless capacity for failure, constantly finding new and innovative ways to fall flat on its face."
CBR: The film was "slammed as being a vanity project for its writer, producer and star, Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye."
Collider: Noted that while Jenna Ortega and Tesfaye deliver strong performances, the "underwritten script takes too long to get anywhere exciting, and it never stops feeling like a sidecar to the album instead of a standalone feature film." They concluded it "has a lot going for it" technically but needs "a far better script."
World of Reel: Stated the film is a "self indulgent mess mostly due to The Weeknd's ego and with another powerhouse turn by a brilliant young actress wasting her talent."
Overall Summary: Critics have overwhelmingly panned Hurry Up Tomorrow, widely criticizing its "threadbare" and "underwritten" script, self-indulgence, and perceived lack of a coherent narrative. While acknowledging Trey Edward Shults' visual prowess and strong performances from Jenna Ortega and, to some extent, Tesfaye, the consensus is that the film functions more as an "over-extended music video" or a "vanity project" than a compelling standalone feature.
Reviews
Audience reviews for Hurry Up Tomorrow appear to be mixed to negative, echoing some of the critics' sentiments, particularly regarding the narrative.
Hindustan Times (Fan Reactions): Reported that fans were "tearing it apart," with comments like "#HurryUpTomorrow - Easily one of the worst movies of the decade," and "It felt like little more than a vanity project. It's all aesthetic—moody lighting, sultry music, lingering close-ups—but there's no real narrative to latch onto." Some users also expressed concern for Trey Edward Shults' career direction, attributing the film's issues to The Weeknd's "ego."
Sounds of Cinema: While praising Shults' technical skill (cinematography, editing, sound design) and Tesfaye's portrayal of a "flawed and difficult character," this review noted that the film "is slow moving" and that the story "falls apart in its second half," becoming a "pedestrian idea that doesn't pay off the first half." They concluded the film "carries on as though it has something profound to say but it's facile and trite."
IGN: Described the film as a "self-insert fan-fiction interspersed with sporadic bursts of head-banging beats that morphs into a pop star's dark night of the soul," acknowledging visually stimulating moments amid what they call "vapidity."
Overall Summary: Fan and early audience reviews for Hurry Up Tomorrow are largely negative, with many criticizing its perceived self-indulgence and weak plot, suggesting it functions more as an extended music video. While some acknowledge its visual style and the performances of Ortega and Tesfaye, the film's narrative shortcomings seem to be a significant detractor for many viewers, especially those not deeply invested in The Weeknd's musical persona.
Box Office
Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) has had a theatrical release but has struggled at the box office.
Worldwide Box Office: Approximately $6,216,922.
Domestic Box Office: Approximately $5,212,125.
International Box Office: Approximately $1,004,797.
Production Budget: Approximately $15,000,000. The film opened with a domestic weekend gross of $3,312,692 from 2,020 theaters, but saw significant drops in subsequent weeks. Given its production budget, the film has not performed well financially in its theatrical run and has been described as having "bombed" at the box office.
Production Summary
Hurry Up Tomorrow was conceived as a multi-media project tying into Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye's album, written by Tesfaye, Trey Edward Shults, and Reza Fahim, and produced by Manic Phase, Live Nation Entertainment, Live Nation Productions, with filming taking place in 2025.
Production Companies
Manic Phase
Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Productions
Sales Companies
Sales information for Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) indicates that Lionsgate handled the acquisition of worldwide distribution rights. Beyond Lionsgate, distribution partners included Village Roadshow for Australia & New Zealand, Wild Bunch for Germany, IDC for Latin America, and Metropolitan in France. This suggests a more traditional sales model with various international distributors.
Distribution Companies
Lionsgate Films (Worldwide; Theatrical, PVOD, Digital) - Lionsgate acquired worldwide distribution rights and released it theatrically in the United States and on Premium Video on Demand.
Village Roadshow (Australia & New Zealand)
Wild Bunch (Germany)
IDC (Latin America)
Metropolitan (France)
Release date on streaming
Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) was released on VOD and digital platforms on June 6, 2025. This digital release occurred less than a month after its theatrical debut, likely due to its struggles at the box office.
Theatrical Release
Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) was released theatrically in the United States on May 16, 2025.
Why to recommend this movie
A Unique Artistic Experiment: The film stands out as a bold and unconventional attempt to bridge the gap between music and cinema, offering a unique multimedia experience for fans of The Weeknd's artistic universe.
Strong Visuals and Technical Prowess: Director Trey Edward Shults' signature visual style, including striking cinematography, intricate editing, and atmospheric sound design, makes the film aesthetically captivating.
Compelling Performances: Despite narrative flaws, Jenna Ortega delivers a "powerhouse" performance, and Abel Tesfaye offers an earnest, albeit fictionalized, portrayal of himself, which can be intriguing for viewers.
Exploration of an Artist's Psyche: For those interested in the darker aspects of fame, mental health, and the complexities of an artist's identity, the film attempts a deep dive into these themes.
Why to Watch Movie
If you are a devoted fan of The Weeknd: The film is designed as a companion piece to his album, offering a visual and conceptual extension of his artistic persona and themes. It's explicitly made for those "fully invested in the narrative of this final trilogy of his discography."
To experience Trey Edward Shults' distinct directorial style: If you appreciate his previous works like Waves or It Comes at Night for their visual flair and atmospheric tension, you'll recognize his technical strengths here.
For a psychological thriller with a unique premise: While divisive, the concept of a pop star's psychological breakdown interwoven with an obsessive fan can be an intriguing premise for viewers seeking something outside the norm.
To see bold acting from Jenna Ortega: Her performance has been singled out as a strong point, making it worthwhile for fans of her work.
Movie Trend
Musical Artists Crossing into Narrative Feature Films/Multimedia Albums: Hurry Up Tomorrow represents a significant trend where prominent musical artists, particularly those with strong artistic personas (like The Weeknd), venture into creating narrative feature films that directly complement or extend their musical discography. This blurs the lines between music video, concert film, and traditional cinema, offering fans a more immersive, expanded universe for their art. Often, these projects are highly stylized and deeply personal, reflecting the artist's thematic preoccupations.
Social Trend
Celebrity Mental Health and the Deconstruction of Public Persona: The film directly taps into the growing social trend of increased public discourse around celebrity mental health and the deconstruction of the meticulously crafted public personas of artists. With figures like Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) openly addressing their struggles, this film provides a fictionalized, yet intimate, look into the psychological toll of fame, depression, and the constant pressure to perform. It reflects a societal shift towards greater transparency and empathy concerning the hidden struggles behind the glamour of celebrity, while also exploring the often-unhealthy dynamics of obsessive fandom.
Final Verdict
Hurry Up Tomorrow is an ambitious yet deeply flawed psychological thriller that attempts to marry Trey Edward Shults' directorial flair with Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye's artistic persona and thematic concerns. While it offers striking visuals and notable performances from Jenna Ortega and Tesfaye, its narrative is widely criticized as underdeveloped, self-indulgent, and at times incoherent, leaving many critics and some audiences feeling that it functions more as an "over-extended music video" than a cohesive feature film. Despite its creative premise and technical polish, its limited appeal primarily to highly dedicated fans of The Weeknd's discography makes it a polarizing and commercially underperforming experiment rather than a critical success.
Recommendations for film makers
Prioritize Narrative Cohesion: While artistic vision is vital, ensure that style and thematic ambition are ultimately in service of a coherent and engaging narrative. A strong script is fundamental, even for experimental projects.
Avoid "Vanity Project" Pitfalls: When collaborating with celebrities on projects that tie into their personal brand, be cautious not to let the film become solely an extension of their persona or music, potentially alienating broader audiences.
Balance Ambiguity with Clarity: While open interpretation can be powerful, too much ambiguity can lead to confusion and frustration for viewers, hindering the film's impact.
Develop Supporting Characters: Even in a character-focused piece, ensure supporting roles are well-developed and serve the plot beyond being mere plot devices, allowing talented actors to truly shine.
Ground Abstract Concepts: If exploring abstract psychological or existential themes, find ways to ground them in relatable human experiences to maintain audience connection, even in surreal sequences.
Recommendations for Movie Industry
Evaluate Cross-Media Projects Critically: While collaborations between music and film offer exciting new avenues, rigorously assess if the cinematic component stands strong as a standalone film, not just a marketing tool.
Diversify "Artist Autobiopics" Beyond Vanity: Encourage projects that delve into artists' lives and psyches with genuine narrative depth and critical perspective, rather than just reinforcing a curated public image.
Support Original, Visionary Directors: Continue to back unique filmmakers like Trey Edward Shults who bring distinctive visual styles and thematic ambitions to the screen, even if some projects prove divisive.
Rethink Release Strategies for Niche Films: For experimental or highly specific films, carefully consider release strategies beyond wide theatrical launches, as PVOD or festival-first approaches might better serve their niche appeal and avoid significant box office losses.
Foster Audience Engagement, Not Just Consumption: While the film attempts to engage fans, the industry should seek ways to create truly interactive or multi-layered experiences that genuinely reward deeper engagement across platforms.
Final Conclusions
Hurry Up Tomorrow represents a bold, albeit troubled, attempt by Trey Edward Shults and Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye to fuse music and cinema into a singular psychological experience. Despite its visual flair and strong individual performances, the film largely falters due to a perceived self-indulgent and underdeveloped narrative, leading to a largely negative critical and mixed audience reception. While it serves its purpose as a companion piece for dedicated fans of The Weeknd's artistic narrative, its struggles at the box office and with critics highlight the challenges of transcending a musical persona into a compelling standalone film. Ultimately, it stands as a technically proficient but narratively elusive experiment that will likely be remembered more for its ambition and the controversy surrounding it than its cinematic achievement.
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