What's Inside?
- Josh Brolin calls 'Weapons' a refreshing, emotionally charged horror film that breaks clichés with Zach Cregger’s bold and unpredictable storytelling.
- 'Weapons' dominates box office with $42.5M debut, marking a major win for Warner Bros. and director Zach Cregger’s growing reputation.
- Inspired by personal tragedy, Cregger’s vision blends absurd humor and emotional depth, delivering a horror experience that keeps audiences off balance.
Josh Brolin isn’t easily impressed. After years of navigating complex roles, he was looking for something truly different, something that could shake up his own creative routine and the horror genre itself. That’s when Weapons, directed by Zach Cregger, landed on his radar. Speaking to Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Brolin admitted, “When I saw Barbarian, I was like, ‘Yeah, I really liked it, but I don’t know why.’” The lingering intrigue, along with a nudge from his daughter, convinced him that Cregger might just be the fresh voice Hollywood needed.
Josh Brolin Says Zach Cregger’s Vision Defies Horror Clichés In Weapon
In Weapons, Brolin takes on the role of Archer Graff— a man driven to outrage after 17 Maybrook children vanish mysteriously at exactly 2:17 a.m. The chilling twist was that all of them were students in Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) class and, in an eerie sequence, appeared to leave their homes willingly. The ensemble cast also features Alden Ehrenreich (Ironheart), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), and Austin Abrams (Euphoria).
For Josh Brolin, the project was more than just another acting gig. He described his frustration with repetitive streaming content. Cregger, however, didn’t just play with horror tropes— he bent them into something absurd, darkly humorous, and emotionally disarming. He told Collider —
“You’re looking for great filmmakers, and you’re hoping that there’s another new good filmmaker out there. Right now, with so much content, you’re just watching things on whatever streaming service you’re on, and you’re just going, ‘F*ck, why is this so boring, man? Why?’ And just go to the next thing. It’s all the same shit. And then somebody not only takes the horror genre, but then fucks with it and then does something on the edge of absurdity, and it’s sort of humorous, so it’s keeping you off-[balance] enough for him to have an emotional impact, ultimately.”
Brolin revealed that the story sprang from a personal and traumatic event in Cregger’s life, with every character reflecting a reaction to that experience. That emotional core, paired with a surreal edge, kept the audience off balance just enough to make the final punch hit harder.
Of course, Brolin didn’t shy away from pushing his young director.
“I know that I challenged him… he’s a young guy who’s done sketch comedy, which is totally different, and then he did Barbarian. I’d rather not understand it and do business with that guy and understand it better later.”
Certainly, it was a visually striking, emotionally charged thriller that exceeded his expectations, much like his surprise experience with No Country for Old Men.
Weapon Has Been A Box Office Powerhouse
If early numbers are any indication, audiences agree with Brolin’s assessment. Weapons stormed the weekend box office with a $42.5 million debut (per Variety), claiming the top spot and delivering Warner Bros. another major win through its New Line label. Made on a $38 million budget, the film’s strong word-of-mouth and “A-” CinemaScore suggest it has the staying power to dominate well into the fall.
Its release paired with Disney’s Freakier Friday— a $29 million opener starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan— created a rare late-summer surge in ticket sales. Last weekend’s leader, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, slid to third with $15.5 million, continuing its steep drop despite a strong $117.6 million opening.
Weapons not only builds on Cregger’s success with Barbarian but also positions him as one of Hollywood’s most promising genre directors, with a Resident Evil reboot already on his horizon. For Brolin, it was the antidote to predictable horror. For audiences, it’s proof that a film can be unsettling, absurd, and deeply moving, all in the same breath.
