Hurry Up Tomorrow Movie: Plot, Cast, Release Date & Reviews

Abel Tesfaye spent a decade soundtracking late-night confessionals for millions of listeners, so it makes sense his first starring role takes the form of a psychological odyssey where reality and dream blur. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” arrives on Apple TV as both a companion piece to his 2025 album and a standalone fever dream about fame, depression, and the strangers who pull us back from the edge.

Genre: Psychological thriller · Release Year: 2025 · Runtime: 1h 45m · Director/Star: Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) · Rating: R · Platform: Apple TV

What will the Hurry Up Tomorrow movie be about?

The film centers on Abel Tesfaye as a fictionalized version of himself — a music superstar preparing for a major concert while grappling with depression following a breakup. His manager Lee (Barry Keoghan) tries to keep him on track, but things unravel when Abel is diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia just days before the show. The emotional stakes deepen when he leaves an accusatory voicemail for his ex-girlfriend, blaming her for his mental state. It’s a story about the exhaustion that comes from performing happiness while barely holding yourself together.

Plot overview

The narrative opens with Abel performing a concert, then pivots to partying with Lee in the aftermath. A fire at Anima’s house — set deliberately — sends her on a reckless road trip to LA for Abel’s concert, where she ignores her mother’s calls. Before the show, a doctor diagnoses Abel with muscle tension dysphonia, a condition that threatens his ability to sing. He leaves the emotional voicemail, then takes the stage — only to lose his voice mid-performance. That’s when Anima approaches him backstage, and the two spend a night together. The film’s emotional climax arrives when Abel plays an unfinished song titled “Hurry Up Tomorrow” and Anima, moved in a way that suggests deeper connection, begins to cry.

Key characters

• Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) — A fictionalized version of himself, an insomniac music superstar wrestling with depression and identity
• Anima (Jenna Ortega) — A mysterious stalker fan whose obsession with Abel drives her from a burned-down home to LA
• Lee (Barry Keoghan) — Abel’s manager, trying to keep the tour on track despite escalating chaos
• Girl on Voicemail / Anima’s Mother (Riley Keough) — Voice roles that tie the narrative threads together
• Young Abel (Ivan Troy) — Appears as a younger version of the protagonist, adding psychological depth

Themes

The film layers several interconnected themes: the cost of fame and the performative self, the blurred line between love and obsession, insomnia as both literal condition and metaphor for a fractured identity, and the question of whether art can save someone from themselves. Director Trey Edward Shults — working from a script co-written with The Weeknd and Reza Fahim — approaches these themes with a David Lynchian sensibility: dreamlike, unsettling, and deliberately opaque.

Is Hurry Up Tomorrow a good movie?

Critical reception has been divided along predictable lines: the film’s visual ambition earns praise, but its narrative coherence draws skepticism. Metacritic’s aggregate places the film in the “mixed or average” band, with reviewers describing it as a “risk-taking David Lynchian fever dream” that’s “visually marvelous but head-scratching.” The Weeknd’s performance itself — his first lead role in a feature film — has been called “moody and magnetic” by critics who note that his screen presence carries weight even when the plot doesn’t.

Critic scores

Aggregated reviews offer a snapshot of how the film has been received across major platforms.

The implication: the film succeeds most when it treats itself as a visual album with a narrative skeleton, and struggles when it tries to deliver conventional dramatic payoff.

Strengths and weaknesses

Fans of The Weeknd’s introspective music will likely find the experience resonant; viewers expecting a traditional thriller may leave puzzled.

Is Hurry Up Tomorrow movie horror?

The film occupies a space that resists easy genre classification. Rotten Tomatoes categorizes it under “Mystery & Thriller,” while the critical consensus leans toward “psychological thriller” rather than horror proper. That said, several elements push into uncomfortable territory: Anima’s deliberate act of arson, her stalker behavior, the dreamlike surrealism of the second half, and a general atmosphere of unease that recalls David Lynch’s unsettling work. If you’re expecting jump scares or conventional horror conventions, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want a film that lingers in the mind with unsettling imagery and ambiguous threat, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” delivers.

Thriller vs. horror

The thriller designation fits best: the film’s tension comes from psychological pressure rather than gore or monster mechanics. Anima’s presence hovers between savior and threat — she connects with Abel authentically, but her backstory of obsession and fire-raising signals danger. The film never fully commits to horror payoff, instead maintaining a Lynchian ambiguity where the audience isn’t sure whether they’re watching a genuine connection or something more sinister.

Tone and scares

The scares are psychological rather than visceral. The voice loss mid-concert, the unanswered voicemail, Anima’s tears at an unfinished song — these moments land as emotional punches rather than shock tactics. The film’s dreamlike structure means transitions feel destabilizing, creating unease through disorientation rather than traditional horror beats.

Is the Hurry Up Tomorrow film a true story?

No — “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is a work of fiction, not autobiography, even though The Weeknd plays a version of himself. The film’s protagonist deals with depression, insomnia, and relationship fallout that resonates with the artist’s public persona and lyrical themes, but the specific events (arson, stalker fans, meeting backstage) are invented. What the film shares with its star is emotional authenticity: the feelings are real, even if the events are fabricated.

Fictional elements

• The character of Anima is entirely fictional — no real stalker fan drives to LA or burns down a house
• Abel’s diagnosis and voice loss before a concert is constructed narrative, not documented event
• The relationship with the ex-girlfriend exists as symbolic emotional territory, not documented relationship
• The manager character Lee is fictionalized, not a portrait of any specific real person

The Weeknd’s involvement

Abel Tesfaye co-wrote the script alongside director Trey Edward Shults and Reza Fahim, giving him significant creative control over how his fictional self is portrayed. This isn’t a vanity project where the star phoned it in — by all accounts, Tesfaye was deeply invested in the project’s artistic direction, treating it as an extension of his musical work rather than a simple cash-in. The companion album reinforces this: the film and music are designed to be consumed together, with thematic and narrative cross-pollination.

What is the Hurry Up Tomorrow movie release date?

“Hurry Up Tomorrow” was released in 2025, arriving on Apple TV following a theatrical run. The release timing aligns with The Weeknd’s album cycle — the film and music were developed in tandem, with the companion album serving as the project’s sonic backbone. If you’re looking to watch it, Apple TV is your primary destination; no other streaming platforms have carried the title as of this writing.

Theatrical and streaming

The film received a theatrical release before transitioning to Apple TV, which aligns with the platform’s strategy of using exclusive film releases to drive subscriptions. The exact window between theatrical and streaming availability may vary by region, but Apple TV subscribers can access the film as part of their base subscription without additional rental or purchase fees.

Box office status

Precise box office figures for the theatrical run remain difficult to pin down from publicly available sources. What is clear is that the film wasn’t positioned as a blockbuster — Apple TV’s release strategy prioritizes platform differentiation and critical conversation over traditional box office competition. The question of whether it “flopped” or “succeeded” depends on what metrics you’re using: streaming engagement and cultural conversation tell a different story than opening weekend numbers would.

Reception and clarity

What this means: the film exists in a marketing category of its own — not quite traditional cinema, not quite promotional tool, but something in between that defies easy measurement. Apple’s release model makes audience size difficult to assess, while the artistic positioning makes critical comparison tricky.

The pattern: the film’s champions praise its atmosphere and the Weeknd’s screen presence, while detractors cite structural problems and an unwillingness to commit fully to either conventional storytelling or pure abstract experience. It’s a film that asks you to meet it halfway — to accept dream logic and emotional fragments as sufficient narrative payoff.

Summary

“Hurry Up Tomorrow” occupies a strange and compelling space: too artistic for pure genre entertainment, too narratively anchored for pure art-house abstraction. The Weeknd’s shift from pop icon to auteur produces moments of genuine power — his screen presence is stronger than his previous brief acting appearances suggest — but the film’s dreamlike structure resists conventional dramatic satisfaction. For Apple TV, the release represents a bet on cultural conversation over traditional metrics: the kind of project that generates think-pieces and fan devotion rather than blockbuster revenue. For viewers, the choice is clear: if you’re aligned with The Weeknd’s musical sensibility and open to art-house ambiguity, the film rewards engagement. If you need a plot that wraps up neatly, look elsewhere.

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