Positive test screenings for Zach Cregger’s second film Weapons will reportedly see it released in 2025 instead of 2026.
Ever since Zach Cregger’s debut, Barbarian (pictured above) released in cinemas in 2022 and quickly became one of the most talked-about horror flicks of the year, anticipation has been high for the filmmaker’s second outing as director. From the handsome deal Cregger received from Warner Bros/New Line Cinema to the ambitious nature of the project, everything we’ve heard about Weapons thus far has only served to further stoke anticipation.
The casting is pretty exciting too, placing Julia Garner and Josh Brolin in the film’s two lead spots. The supporting cast isn’t half bad either, given that we’ll be getting Brian Tyree Henry, Tom Burke, Austin Abrams and June Diane Raphael on the call sheet too.
Still, 2026 is a way off, but The InSneider (via World of Reel) is now reporting that Warner Bros is so pleased with early test screenings of the film that they want to move Weapons out of its January 2026 release slot and bring the film forwards into 2025, giving the film a more marketable space on its schedule.
In Sneider’s own words: ‘Weapons was assigned a release date last May, before Warner Bros. and New Line really knew what they had on their hands, but the film has been testing very well since then, and I’m told Warners is excited to get it out there. The studio wants to keep Cregger in the fold long-term, and if that’s the case, a January release simply won’t do.’
Given that Sony is already said to have lured Cregger away from Warner Bros for his third film by dangling big franchise IP in front of the filmmaker (first a Clue remake, then a Resident Evil remake – the latter of which Cregger is said to have gone for) Warner Bros will be keen to ensure that it makes itself the long-term home for the filmmaker’s original material. Moving Weapons into a release slot that affords the film a better shot at theatrical success is a great way of doing that.
We don’t yet know when the film will release, but October is surely a safe bet as spooky season rolls around. There is a more detailed synopsis than we’ve previously seen floating around but we won’t share it here as, like Barbarian, this might be one film that you’re better going into cold. The film has been described as 'a multi-story horror opus in the style of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia.'
We’ll bring you that revised release date when we hear it.
