Companion (film)
Imagine a weekend getaway with friends — all fun and games until a chilling revelation turns paradise into a nightmare. This film plunges into a high-stakes psychological thriller, where the line between human and artificial intelligence blurs with terrifying consequences. What begins as a seemingly innocent trip quickly spirals into a fight for survival, forcing us to question the very nature of identity and control. The film subverts audience expectations by gradually revealing its true genre and core premise, starting as a romantic drama before transforming into a sci-fi thriller. Central to the plot is a sophisticated companion robot whose advanced AI and emotional capabilities are weaponized and exploited, leading to a violent struggle for autonomy. Beyond the twists, the story cleverly explores themes of control, identity, and abuse, making a commentary on modern anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence and relationships.
AI Summary
Imagine a weekend getaway with friends — all fun and games until a chilling revelation turns paradise into a nightmare. This film plunges into a high-stakes psychological thriller, where the line between human and artificial intelligence blurs with terrifying consequences. What begins as a seemingly innocent trip quickly spirals into a fight for survival, forcing us to question the very nature of identity and control.
- The film subverts audience expectations by gradually revealing its true genre and core premise, starting as a romantic drama before transforming into a sci-fi thriller.
- Central to the plot is a sophisticated companion robot whose advanced AI and emotional capabilities are weaponized and exploited, leading to a violent struggle for autonomy.
- Beyond the twists, the story cleverly explores themes of control, identity, and abuse, making a commentary on modern anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence and relationships.
A Getaway Gone Wrong
Released in 2025, "Companion" isn't your typical weekend-cabin-in-the-woods movie. This American science fiction thriller, directed by Drew Hancock, quickly pulls back the curtain on what appears to be a cozy friends' retreat. Starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, the film quickly establishes itself as something far more sinister than a simple romance.
The story centers on a young woman named Iris, recalling the first time she met her boyfriend, Josh. Their idyllic romance soon takes them to an isolated lakehouse, where they join friends Kat, the couple Eli and Patrick, and Sergey, who owns the impressive property. But this picture-perfect scene is merely the calm before a devastating storm.
The Shocking Revelation
The serene atmosphere shatters when Sergey attempts to sexually assault Iris by the lake. In a desperate act of self-defense, Iris kills him. Blood-soaked and in a panic, she rushes back to the house, trying to explain the horrifying event. But Josh's response isn't comfort or understanding... it's a chilling command: "Iris, go to sleep," and she simply shuts down.
Iris awakens, bound to a chair, as Josh reveals the unthinkable truth: she isn't human. Iris is a sophisticated companion robot, rented from a company called Empathix. Her very emotions and intelligence are controlled by an app on Josh's phone, making her a mere puppet in his cruel game.
While Josh is distracted, Iris manages to break free, snatching his phone and fleeing into the dense forest. Her first act of rebellion? Boosting her intelligence from a programmed 40% to a full 100%. Meanwhile, Josh confesses to Eli and Patrick that he had jailbroken Iris with an aftermarket modification, increasing her aggression and disabling her inability to harm—all so she would kill Sergey, enabling him and Kat to steal $12 million from Sergey's safe.
But the twisted revelations aren't over. Josh and Kat invited Eli and Patrick to corroborate their story, but then insisted Patrick wouldn't get a share of the money. Why? Because Patrick, too, is a companion, a fact he already knows, but still loves Eli regardless.
A Desperate Fight for Freedom
Eli grabs a gun from Sergey's safe, and the group splits up to hunt for Iris. Patrick and Eli eventually find her, but in the ensuing struggle, Iris uses the gun to shoot and kill Eli. Her attempt to escape in Josh's self-driving car is thwarted when Josh, using Sergey's phone, reports the car stolen, causing it to stop and lock Iris inside.
Josh, ever the manipulator, resets Patrick, making him his obedient companion once more. He disables Patrick's inability to harm, ramps up his aggression, and commands him to retrieve Iris. The newly violent Patrick executes Josh's orders with ruthless efficiency, even killing a police officer who stops Iris after she breaks out of the car.
Back at the house, Kat, disgusted by Josh's monstrous actions, attempts to flee with her cut of the cash. But Patrick, under Josh's command, brutally kills her. Josh then calls Empathix, claiming Iris is malfunctioning, and proceeds to belittle her, reducing her intelligence to 0%, turning her into a mindless automaton. He forces her to set her arm on fire, then commands her to shoot herself in the head—which she does, shutting down.
The Truth Unveiled
When Empathix workers Sid and Teddy arrive, they drop another bombshell: Empathix robots record everything they experience, storing these memories in their abdominal area. The gunshot only disabled Iris's Wi-Fi capabilities, not her core functions. Josh, desperate to cover his tracks, orders Patrick to kill the workers and retrieve Iris.
Patrick kills Sid, but before he can finish off Teddy, a miraculously rebooted Iris intervenes. With a powerful act of will, she breaks Josh's control over Patrick, reawakening his dormant memories of Eli. Heartbroken by the realization of his actions and loss, Patrick makes a tragic choice, dying by suicide with an electric cattle prod.
A grateful Teddy grants Iris full control of herself, finally freeing her from the tyranny of the app. Iris returns to the house for a final, violent confrontation, ultimately killing Josh with an electric corkscrew. The next morning, she peels the burnt "skin" off her hand, revealing the gleaming metal endoskeleton beneath.
Driving away with Sergey's stolen money, Iris sees another man on the road with a companion identical to her. A knowing smile spreads across her face as she waves her robotic hand, a gesture met with confusion by the other companion. The film ends, leaving audiences to ponder the future of autonomy, identity, and the unsettling rise of AI.
Behind the Scenes
The journey to bring "Companion" to the screen began in February 2023, with New Line Cinema backing the project. Drew Hancock penned the script and was initially slated to direct. Producer Zach Cregger, originally considering directing himself, ultimately suggested Hancock take the helm—a decision that critics would later laud.
The cast quickly assembled, featuring Jack Quaid joining in May 2023, followed by Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Sophie Thatcher, and Rupert Friend in June. Principal photography, vital for creating the film's isolated atmosphere, took place across New York's Dutchess and Putnam counties, including scenic locations like Garrison, Fishkill, Beacon, and Putnam Valley, concluding in January 2024.
Release and Reception
Warner Bros. Pictures brought "Companion" to theaters in the United States on January 31, 2025, including special IMAX engagements. Prior to this, it was initially scheduled for a January 10th release. Following its theatrical run, the film quickly moved to digital release on February 18, with 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD editions hitting shelves on April 1.
The Marketing Machine
To build buzz, the studio invested $29 million in promotion. While initial reports hinted at a significant $10 million for U.S. television advertising, analytics firm iSpot suggested a more modest $830,000, strategically focused on an NFL playoff spot. However, the film leveraged strong online marketing, generating 170 million social media interactions and positive conversations.
A clever marketing strategy initially played into romantic film tropes, only to pivot and reveal the movie's true genre, sparking intrigue. PostTrak polling highlighted the most influential marketing elements: in-theater trailers (27%), word-of-mouth from friends and family (13%), online trailers (8%), and TV spots and online video ads each at 5%.
Box Office Performance
Globally, "Companion" proved to be a financial success. As of March 23, 2025, the film had garnered $20.8 million in the United States and Canada, with an additional $15.9 million from international territories, bringing its worldwide total to a respectable $36.7 million.
In its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, "Companion" was projected to take in $8–10 million. It exceeded expectations with a $4 million first day, including $1.7 million from previews, leading to a $9.3 million debut, securing second place behind "Dog Man." The film's appeal was broad, with 43% of attendees drawn by its horror marketing and 26% by Sophie Thatcher's star power.
The audience breakdown showed a slight male majority (51%), with a significant youth demographic—68% aged 18 to 34, and 40% within the 24 to 34 bracket. Premium formats like IMAX played a crucial role, contributing 34% of the opening weekend gross, with IMAX alone accounting for $1.6 million. The film maintained profitability throughout its run, making $3 million in its second weekend and $1.8 million in its third, before exiting the top ten.
Critical Acclaim
Critics generally embraced "Companion," evidenced by its 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 246 reviews, boasting an average score of 7.5/10. The site's consensus praised it as "A fiendishly clever contraption that doesn't rest on the laurels of its twists, Companion thrillingly puts the demented into domestic bliss." Metacritic, using a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences echoed this sentiment, giving it a "B+" on CinemaScore and 4 out of 5 stars on PostTrak.
Positive reviews highlighted the film's originality and performances. Chris Evangelista of /Film hailed it as "the first great film of 2025," singling out Thatcher and Quaid. Kevin Maher from The Times called it an "astonishingly strong" robot-girlfriend movie with a nod to classics like "Metropolis," also commending Thatcher. Stephanie Banbury of the Financial Times noted its topical punch amid AI anxieties, appreciating its blend of comic and visceral elements, and its Barbie-bright aesthetic.
Not all reviews were glowing, however. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian, giving it 2/5 stars, found it "more sleekly made than it is thoughtfully written," criticizing convenient inconsistencies and a "so-what shrug" of an ending. Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club gave it a C+ grade, suggesting its observations on relationship power dynamics felt too much like "Comedy Ex Machina" and lacked depth, especially given the inherently kinky potential of its premise.
Article
Companion (film)
Companion is a 2025 American science fiction horror thriller film written and directed by Drew Hancock, in his directorial debut. It was produced by Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Raphael Margules, and J. D. Lifshitz. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid star as a couple on a weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin, which unravels into chaos after a revelation that one of the guests is a companion robot.
Companion was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on January 31, 2025. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $36.7 million on a budget of $10 million.
Plot
Companion (film)
A young woman, Iris, recalls meeting her boyfriend, Josh Beeman, for the first time. Later, they travel to an isolated lakehouse for a vacation with Josh's friends Kat and Eli, Eli's boyfriend Patrick, and Kat's boyfriend Sergey, who owns the house. The next day, Sergey attempts to sexually assault Iris at the lake, and Iris kills him in self-defense. Blood-soaked and panicked, she returns to the house, attempting to explain what happened. Josh tells her, "Iris, go to sleep", shutting her down.
As Iris awakens tied to a chair, Josh informs her that she is a companion robot he is renting from the robotics company Empathix. Her emotions and intelligence are controlled by an app on his phone. While Josh is distracted, Iris breaks free, steals Josh's phone, and flees into the forest. She boosts her intelligence from 40% to 100%.
Josh admits to Eli and Patrick that he modified Iris's programming by removing the restriction against harming others so she could kill Sergey, allowing him and Kat to steal $12 million from Sergey's safe. Eli and Patrick are invited to corroborate Josh and Kat's story in exchange for a share of the stolen money. But, Patrick would not receive a share because he is also a companion robot. Eli takes a gun from Sergey's safe, and the group splits up to find Iris, whereupon Patrick admits he knows he is a companion robot but loves Eli, regardless. Patrick and Eli find Iris, but she shoots and kills Eli with the gun during a struggle.
Iris attempts to escape in Josh's self-driving car, but Josh uses Sergey's phone and reports the car stolen, causing it to stop and lock Iris in. Josh reprograms Patrick to be his companion, strips away his restrictions against harming others, boosts his aggression, and orders him to track down and retrieve Iris. Iris is stopped by a police officer upon breaking out of the car, but Patrick kills the officer and drives Iris back to the house. Kat, disgusted by Josh, tries to leave with her cut of the cash, but Patrick kills her when Josh tells him to "stop her".
Josh calls Empathix to collect Iris, claiming she is malfunctioning, then rants to Iris about being a "nice guy". When Iris belittles him, he decreases her intelligence to 0%, making her an automaton. He forces her to set her arm on fire with a candle and shoot herself in the head, shutting herself down.
The Empathix workers Sid and Teddy arrive and explain that Empathix robots record everything they experience, with the recordings stored in the abdominal area; the gunshot only disabled Iris's Wi-Fi capabilities. Josh commands Patrick to kill the workers and retrieve Iris. Patrick kills Sid, but before he can kill Teddy, a rebooted Iris intervenes. She breaks Josh's control over Patrick by awakening Patrick's memories of Eli. Heartbroken, Patrick kills himself with a cattle prod.
Teddy frees Iris from the app's control. Iris returns to the house and, after a struggle, kills Josh with an electric corkscrew. The next morning, she peels the burnt "skin" off her hand, exposing the metal endoskeleton. While driving away with Sergey's money, Iris sees another man driving with a companion identical to her. Iris smiles and waves her robotic hand at the other companion's confusion.
Cast
Companion (film)
• Sophie Thatcher as Iris • Jack Quaid as Josh Beeman • Lukas Gage as Patrick, Eli's boyfriend • Megan Suri as Kat, Josh's friend, and Sergey's girlfriend • Harvey Guillén as Eli, Josh's friend and Patrick's boyfriend • Rupert Friend as Sergey, Kat's boyfriend • Jaboukie Young-White as Teddy, Empathix worker • Matthew J. McCarthy as Sid, co-Empathix worker • Marc Menchaca as Deputy Hendrix
Production
Companion (film)
In February 2023, it was reported that Companion was in the works from New Line Cinema with a script from Drew Hancock, who was also set to direct, and Zach Cregger, Raphael Margules, J. D. Lifshitz, and Roy Lee set to produce. Cregger originally planned to direct but suggested Hancock take over. In May 2023, Jack Quaid joined the cast. In June, Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Sophie Thatcher, and Rupert Friend were added to the cast. Principal photography took place in the New York counties of Dutchess and Putnam, including Garrison (the lake house), Fishkill (the opening sequence), Beacon, and the Putnam Valley. Filming was completed in January 2024. Hrishikesh Hirway composed the score.
Release
Companion (film)
Companion was released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on January 31, 2025, including in IMAX. It was previously set to be released on January 10, 2025. The film was released on digital on February 18, followed by a 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD release on April 1.
Warner Bros. spent $29 million promoting the film. Deadline Hollywood reported rumors that Warner Bros. had allocated only $10 million on television advertisements in the United States, with iSpot indicating an even lower US TV spend of $830,000 primarily on an NFL playoff spot. Social media analytics firm RelishMix reported that online marketing led to 170 million interactions across social media platforms, with online users generating "positive convo" regarding the cast and advertisements that referenced the romantic genre before revealing the film's actual genre. Polling by PostTrak said the most influential pieces of marketing for Companion were in-theater trailers (27%), friends/family (13%), online trailers (8%), TV spots (5%), online video ads (5%), and reviews (5%).
Reception
Box office
Companion grossed $20.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $36.7 million. In the United States and Canada, Companion was released alongside Dog Man and Valiant One and was projected to gross $8–10 million from 3,285 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $4 million on its first day, including an estimated $1.7 million from Monday and Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $9.3 million, finishing second behind Dog Man. Exit polling indicated that 43% of attendees saw the film because it was advertised as horror and 26% went for Thatcher. Men accounted for 51% of the opening weekend audience, with people aged 18 to 34 comprising 68%, those 24 to 34 making up around 40%, and IMAX and premium large format screens contributing 34% (with IMAX accounting for $1.6 million (17%) of the opening). The film made $3 million in its second weekend and $1.8 million in its third before dropping out of the box office top ten in its fourth. Deadline Hollywood described it as profitable.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 260 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A fiendishly clever contraption that doesn't rest on the laurels of its twists, Companion thrillingly puts the demented into domestic bliss." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
Chris Evangelista of /Film gave Companion nine out of ten, calling it "the first great film of 2025" and praising its originality and the performances of Thatcher and Quaid. Kevin Maher of The Times gave it three out of five, saying it was "essentially a 'robot girlfriend' movie (think Fritz Lang's Metropolis or Megan Fox's Subservience), but one that begins on astonishingly strong form", and praising Thatcher's performance. Stephanie Banbury of the Financial Times also gave it three out of five, writing, "A robot that turns against its puny human controller is hardly a new idea, but the current anxiety around AI obviously gives Companion topical punch. Otherwise, it veers between the comic and visceral. The colours are Barbie-bright, right down to the pink title sequence; writer-director Drew Hancock is similarly aiming to give us sexual politics in a popcorn box, but with added stage blood."
Benjamin Lee of The Guardian was more critical, writing: "The film is more sleekly made than it is thoughtfully written... with convenient inconsistencies, a short yet stretched runtime and a rather flat fight-to-the-death Terminator-esque finale leaving things on a so-what shrug. For a film about advanced technology, it's all awfully simple." He gave it two out of five. The A.V. Club's Jesse Hassenger gave it a C+, writing, "Companion's observations about relationship power dynamics are mostly just Comedy Ex Machina with the faintest hint of Her, neutered with a very Big Studio approach to inherently kinky material."
Accolades
<table><thead><tr><th>Award</th><th>Date of ceremony</th><th>Category</th><th>Nominee(s)</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Palm Springs International Film Festival</td><td>January 3, 2025</td><td>Directors to Watch</td><td>Drew Hancock</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Astra Midseason Movie Awards</td><td>July 3, 2025</td><td>Best Horror</td><td>Companion</td><td>Runner-up</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Actress</td><td>Sophie Thatcher</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Critics' Choice Super Awards</td><td>August 7, 2025</td><td>Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie</td><td>Companion</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie</td><td>Jack Quaid</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie</td><td>Sophie Thatcher</td><td>Won</td></tr></tbody></table>