Jenna Ortega’s new horror comedy from A24, Death of a Unicorn, has been underperforming at the box office — and it’s not a good sign for her next movie. Death of a Unicorn stars Ortega opposite Paul Rudd as a father and daughter who accidentally kill a unicorn on a road trip and contend with the unicorn’s vengeful parents. Although Death of a Unicorn received mixed reviews from critics, it seemed to have all the makings of a hit: bankable stars, intriguing trailers, and a high-concept creature-feature premise.

But unfortunately, in spite of those elements, Death of a Unicorn is a box office bomb. Although it’s scored blockbuster horror hits in the past with Midsommar, Talk to Me, and most recently Heretic, A24 is currently going through a rough patch with its scary movie output. Just a couple of weeks after the Ayo Edebiri-led cult thriller Opus became a record-breaking flop, Death of a Unicorn grossed a meager $5.7 million on its opening weekend, losing out to Blumhouse’s The Woman in the Yard.

Death Of A Unicorn’s Box Office Performance Isn’t Encouraging For Hurry Up Tomorrow

Jenna Ortega’s Next Movie Is Another Box Office Risk

Despite having Rudd and Ortega in the lead roles, Death of a Unicorn was always going to be a gamble at the box office. Its humor is so quirky and tongue-in-cheek that it would either connect with audiences or it wouldn’t, and it seems like it didn’t. In order to get her reputation as a bankable A-list star back on track, Ortega needs her next movie to be a hit. But her next movie, Hurry Up Tomorrow, is another risky commercial play.

Like Death of a Unicorn, Hurry Up Tomorrow has a strong cast, featuring Ortega, Barry Keoghan, and The Weeknd playing himself. And like Death of a Unicorn, it’s a quirky horror film that doesn’t easily fall into a familiar category. It’s a musical psychological thriller about an insomniac musician on the verge of a nervous breakdown. If Joker: Folie à Deux taught us anything, it’s that a blend of musical and psychological thriller doesn’t necessarily mean box office gold.

Death Of A Unicorn & Hurry Up Tomorrow Could Start A Bad Trend For Jenna Ortega

Beetlejuice 2’s Winning Streak Didn’t Last Long

If Hurry Up Tomorrow bombs at the box office like Death of a Unicorn, then it could be the start of a worrying career trend for Ortega. Last fall, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice became her biggest box office hit by far and seemed to solidify her as a bona fide movie star. But if she follows it up with two of her biggest disappointments, then her tenure on the A-list could be over before it’s really begun.