New A24 Horror-Comedy’s RT Score Plunges To Rotten Level As New Reviews Arrive After Strong SXSW Debut

Death of a Unicorn has tumbled to a Rotten score. The movie, which follows unicorns seeking revenge on a pharmaceutical family and their employees after their foal is accidentally hit by a car on their property, was written and directed by Alex Scharfman and stars Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant. It debuted at SXSW on March 8, just a few weeks ahead of the official Death of a Unicorn release on March 28. At the time, Rotten Tomatoes aggregated roughly 20 critics’ reviews to give it a solidly Fresh 70% score.

Now, Rotten Tomatoes has aggregated a significantly increased number of reviews as they are published in anticipation of the movie’s wide release opening weekend. While the score could still fluctuate, at the time of writing, 68 reviews have cumulatively earned Death of a Unicorn a 59% score with an average rating of 6.1 out of 10. This sees the movie’s score plunging 21% and officially earning it a Rotten Tomatoes splat, though it is only 1% below the Fresh threshold.

One such write-up is the 7 out of 10 Death of a Unicorn review by ScreenRant‘s own Mae Abdulbaki. Read an excerpt below:

The film is meant to be seen with an audience who will laugh along with you as the exceptionally gory kills get more vicious. One particular death had the audience clapping, which is exactly the reaction it needed. The film’s payoff is great, too, landing with a balance of heartwarming emotion, humor, and a surprising kill. Death of a Unicorn is the kind of film that’s happy to take us on a bloody, uproarious ride and I was more than willing to let it.

What This Means For A24

Death Of A Unicorn Could Be Another Horror Miss

Ultimately, it remains to be seen if this 59% score affects the box office prospects of the upcoming Death of a Unicorn. The movie’s star-studded cast may insulate it, preventing it from becoming a flop. In fact, as of March 21, Box Office Theory projected that it would debut at the domestic box office with a 3-day total between $7.5 and $11 million, which placed it even higher than Blumhouse’s upcoming release The Woman in the Yard, which is only expected to land between $6 and $10 million.

The Woman in the Yard was directed by Orphan‘s Jaume Collet-Serra and stars Carry-On‘s Danielle Deadwyler.

However, this score marks another recent whiff for A24. A24 horror movies have been the backbone of the brand, with titles such as The Witch and Hereditary helping put the company on the map. However, several of their recent efforts have been notable misses. While earning a just-barely Rotten score is not a huge demerit, Death of a Unicorn‘s splat comes in the wake of 2024’s The Front Room (41%) earning horror’s worst wide-release opening weekend of the year up to that point and 2025’s Opus (41%) following that with one of the worst wide-release opening weekends of all time.

Our Take On The Death Of A Unicorn Rotten Tomatoes Score

It Could Work In The Movie’s Favor

If Death of a Unicorn is not in danger of being ignored entirely by ticketbuyers, this Rotten Tomatoes score could ultimately turn out to be a good thing. The 2025 horror movie has a very particular blend of genres and story elements, so the fact that it is splitting critics rather than being universally rejected seems to reinforce the fact that it is an acquired taste, rather than a bad movie. This could help it find a solid cult audience over time, even if it prevents it from becoming a major blockbuster hit.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes & Box Office Theory