Fantasy journey movies are goals delivered to life on the large display. From colourful surroundings to speaking animals, sparkles, and extra, fantasy worlds are an escape for lots of moviegoers. Whereas many movies within the style have develop into classics, some have been flops, and others have develop into underrated gems that did not obtain the eye they deserve. A type of underrated fantasy movies is A24’s The Legend of Ochi. It was launched in theaters in the USA on April 25, 2025, after a restricted theater launch on April 18, 2025. Earlier than that, the film premiered at Sundance in January. Now, it is heading to HBO Max.
The Legend of Ochi will start streaming on HBO Max on August 15, 2025. The movie stars Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man), Helena Zengel (System Crasher), Emily Watson (Hilary and Jackie), and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Issues). The story revolves round a farm lady named Yuri (Zengel) who lives in a secluded northern village on the island of Carpathia. Yuri was taught to not go exterior after darkish, out of concern of encountering a harmful creature referred to as the Ochi. In the future, she discovers an injured child Ochi that was left behind and goes on an journey to return it to its household. Dafoe portrays Maxim, Watson performs Dasha, and Wolfhard is Petro.

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Isaiah Saxon wrote, directed, and produced The Legend of Ochi, whereas Richard Peete, Traci Carlson, and Jonathan Wang additionally served as producers. Government producers embrace Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, Louise Lovegrove, Alex Plapinger, Len Blavatnik, Danny Cohen, Timo Argillander, and Elisa Alvares. The fantasy journey movie’s price range was $10 million, however it solely grossed $4.6 million on the field workplace. Its streaming debut on HBO Max could possibly be a good way for brand new audiences to find and admire the movie. With a runtime of solely 96 minutes, it isn’t an extremely prolonged movie, so film lovers who take pleasure in fast-paced films can admire that it is beneath two hours.
What Critics & Audiences Had To Say About ‘The Legend of Ochi’
The Legend of Ochi has a 75% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with many critics highlighting its chaotic allure and delightful visuals. Dionar Hidalgo of Algo Más Que Cine’s assessment of the movie says, “The Legend of Ochi cannot resolve if it is a fable, drama, or experimental youngsters’s story, but finds allure in its chaos. Visually beautiful, with David Longstreth’s music because the sonic lifeline to a world Saxon builds with extra ardour than precision.” The reviewer gave the movie an unique rating of seven out of ten. Different critics said that they appreciated the movie, however had no attachment to it.
Generally, critics critiques do not precisely replicate what an viewers thinks a few manufacturing. On this case, The Legend of Ochi has a 62% Popcornmeter rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Whereas the critiques of The Legend of Ochi are considerably combined, with many agreeing that it is visually good, some moviegoers had completely different ideas. One viewer, Christopher M, wrote, “It was a really properly performed and actually satisfying live-action household fantasy journey film.”
Supply: Warner Bros. Discovery

The Legend of Ochi
- Launch Date
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April 25, 2025
- Runtime
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96 minutes
- Director
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Isaiah Saxon
- Writers
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Isaiah Saxon
- Producers
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Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Louise Lovegrove, Mike LaRocca, Richard Peete, Jonathan Wang, Traci Carlson, Angela Russo-Otstot