Chris Evans’ $7M R-Rated Thriller Hits Streaming: Box Office Bomb Finds New Home

The recent movie starring Chris Evans, titled Honey Don’t!, has announced its debut on streaming platforms following a less-than-stellar performance in cinemas. The film is directed by Ethan Coen and features Margaret Qualley as Honey O’Donahue, a detective delving into a string of mysterious deaths connected to an enigmatic church.

In the movie, Evans portrays Reverend Drew Devlin, alongside Aubrey Plaza as MG Falcone and Charlie Day as Marty Metakawitch. The film was released in theaters on August 22 and managed to earn just $7 million globally, despite a high-profile cast.

According to a report by CBR, Honey Don’t! is set to premiere on Peacock on Friday, October 3, following its earlier release on various major VOD services.

Implications for Honey Don’t!

Honey Don’t! represents the second part of the lesbian B-movie trilogy created by Coen and co-writer Trisha Cooke, following Drive-Away Dolls (2024). Despite the lack of commercial success for the films, a third installment, titled Go, Beavers!, is currently in the works.

The reception of Coen’s latest project has been lukewarm at best, with a modest Rotten Tomatoes score of 46%. In his review for ScreenRant, Todd Gilchrist gave Honey Don’t! a somewhat better rating of six out of 10, commending Qualley’s performance in particular. Gilchrist noted:

Following her notable roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Poor Things, and The Substance, where her striking looks were used subversively, Coen has now tapped into Qualley’s sharp intelligence that supported her previous roles, enhancing her character Honey’s credibility and charm.

The film’s budget is estimated at around $20 million, indicating it needed to make about $50 million to break even. With a worldwide gross of only $7 million, the film is considered a significant financial flop, performing similarly to Drive-Away Dolls, which earned $7.9 million.

Given that the Rotten Tomatoes audience score is even lower than the critic score, at 40%, it’s unlikely that Honey Don’t! will gain much traction from word-of-mouth. However, the big names in the cast might still draw viewers on digital platforms, and its upcoming release on Peacock is expected to boost its audience.

Perspectives on Honey Don’t!’s Streaming Launch

The film Honey Don’t! offers a dose of typical Coen humor and action, and though it didn’t make a big splash in theaters, it might find its audience in the more relaxed setting of home viewing.

The lackluster response to this film and Drive-Away Dolls suggests that fans might be eager for a reunion between Ethan Coen and his brother Joel, known for their collaborations on acclaimed films such as No Country for Old Men (2007), The Big Lebowski (1998), and Fargo (1996). The brothers haven’t co-directed since The Ballad of Buster Scruggs in 2018.

While it’s uncertain if or when the Coen brothers will collaborate again, Ethan remains active in the film industry. As fans await potentially more projects from the Coen duo, Honey Don’t! becoming available on Peacock offers some classic Coen antics to tide them over.