Disney’s New Horror Film Sinks at Cinemas with Just 8% on Rotten Tomatoes

Barely into 2026, international critics have already named a frontrunner for the year’s worst film: 20th Century Studios’ Psycho Killer. The horror-suspense movie, which opened in North American cinemas last Friday, has been met with overwhelmingly negative reviews, and the box office results paint a similarly bleak picture. Critics have given Psycho Killer an overall approval rating of just 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, a sharp decline from its initial debut at 0%. Public opinion isn’t much better, with an audience approval score of only 35%. The consensus is clear: this film is one to avoid. Despite a budget of approximately $10 million and a release in over 1,100 U.S. theaters, Psycho Killer earned only between $250,000 and $710,000 during its opening weekend. These disastrous numbers forecast significant losses for the studio. What makes this failure particularly surprising is the talent involved.

Disney’s Psycho Killer: Bland Horror with Outdated Tropes and Questionable Effects – Critical Disappointment

Andrew Kevin Walker, the screenwriter behind Se7en, penned the script for Psycho Killer. After languishing in Hollywood studios for nearly two decades, the project was finally directed by Gavin Polone (in his directorial debut after a long producing career). The film stars Georgina Campell as a police agent relentlessly pursuing a serial killer to avenge her husband’s death, and features veteran actor Malcolm McDowell. However, international media outlets report that the film fails on every level. Critics describe it as a boring and generic horror movie with outdated tropes and questionable visual effects—a far cry from the brilliance and tension of Se7en. Given this critical and commercial failure, it remains to be seen whether Psycho Killer will be released in Portuguese cinemas, or if Disney will quietly shelve it in its streaming platform catalogs.