Sacrifice is a 2025 action adventure comedy film directed by Romain Gavras, and co-written by Gavras and Will Arbery. It stars an ensemble cast that features Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, Sam Richardson, John Malkovich, and Salma Hayek.
The film had its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. It is scheduled to be released on Netflix in the United States and France on October 16, 2026.
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Premise
A film star attempting a comeback is abducted along with two others by a radical group that believes that by sacrificing three people, it would save humanity.
Production
It was announced in May 2024 that Romain Gavras was set to direct and co-write the film, with Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Evans, Salma Hayek and Brendan Fraser cast to star. In September 2024, Sam Richardson joined the cast, with Fraser exiting due to scheduling conflicts. In November 2024, Vincent Cassel, Ambika Mod, John Malkovich, Charli XCX, Yung Lean, Jade Croot, Jeremy O. Harris and Miriam Silverman joined the cast, with Cassel replacing Fraser.
Principal photography began in November 2024, in Greece, Bulgaria, and Iceland. Filming wrapped on December 30, 2024.
Release
Sacrifice premiered in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. In May 2026, Netflix acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film at the Marché du Film; the streaming service subsequently bought French rights as well. The film was first theatrically released in Italy on August 12, 2026, and will receive a streaming release from Netflix in the United States and France on October 16.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of 34 critics' reviews are positive. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. It is one of the lowest-rated films of the year that premiered at fall film festivals.
