One of the grossest and most stomach-churning horror movies of 2024 has just taken down the Man of Steel on the HBO Max movie chart. On Sunday, James Gunn’s Superman finally gave up the top spot on the streaming chart to Demi Moore’s best movie in years, The Substance.
The Substance tells the story of a fading celebrity who sees an advertisement for a drug that promises to help regain the youth that has been taken away by time. However, the cell-replicating “substance” is not exactly the wonder drug it appears to be, and things very quickly spiral out of control for Moore’s character when she and her younger, better self begin to resent each other.
The film features a highly praised performance by Moore as Elizabeth Sparkle, and also acted as a springboard for Margaret Qualley playing her younger form. Alongside the pair, the cast also includes Dennis Quaid as Elizabeth’s producer, who sets off the events by firing her due to her aging years. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat as a satirical take on the way society puts pressure on women as they age, the film scored well with critics, landing an 89% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its audience score of 76% was not quite as strong, but the film’s box office total of around $80 million, made it the biggest hit for Mubi, who distributed the film.
‘The Substance’ Earned Unexpected Oscar Recognition
If there is one unwritten rule of Hollywood, it is that genre movies will mostly always be ignored by the Academy when Oscar nominations are announced. The Substance bucked this trend in a big way, earning five nods, including ones in four of the major categories: Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. While it only walked away with Best Makeup and Hairstyling, the discourse over Mikey Madison winning Best Actress over Moore was enough to suggest that despite the film not winning any of the big awards, it was not through lack of deserving it.
Despite the disappointment of the Oscars, the movie did not leave empty-handed at many awards ceremonies in 2024. Fargeat was nominated for the Palme d’Or and won Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, Moore claimed a Best Actress win at the Golden Globes, Satellite Awards, Saturn Awards, and Critics Choice Awards, as well as being nominated for the Razzie Redeemer Award at the Golden Raspberry Awards – a truly prestigious nod for a former Razzie winner who has become “a respected artist.” Qualley also claimed plenty of accolades in her supporting role, including from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, the Online Film Critics Society, and Seattle Film Critics Society.
After box office success and almost 100 award wins, The Substance is now working its way into people’s homes as the most streamed movie of the moment on HBO Max.
- Release Date
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September 20, 2024
- Runtime
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140 Minutes
- Director
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Coralie Fargeat
- Writers
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Coralie Fargeat