Overview
- Passenger opened in U.S. theaters on Friday, May 22, 2026, after Paramount moved the release up from May 29 to avoid competing titles.
- The film follows a young couple living van life who witness a deadly crash and find themselves stalked by a demonic figure played by Joseph Lopez.
- Multiple critics single out André Øvredal’s direction, cinematography, lighting and sound for creating tense atmosphere and well-timed jump scares.
- Reviewers consistently criticize the screenplay for flat lead characters, clunky dialogue and a mythology that relies on symbols like hobo-code marks and St. Christopher medallions without clear explanation.
- Rated R for strong violent content, some gore, and language, Passenger is being positioned as a pure theatrical horror entry that will mainly appeal to genre fans and viewers drawn to Øvredal’s prior work rather than broad mainstream audiences.