After ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey,’ Zendaya’s Other 2026 Movie Is Also #1 on Streaming Platforms
Some films arrive in theaters, make their noise, and quietly fade into the streaming rotation. Others linger, sparking arguments long after the credits roll, and manage to find an entirely new audience the moment they land on a streaming platform. This particular film falls firmly into the second category.
That staying power has become impossible to ignore this week, as one of the year’s most talked-about A24 releases has surged back into the spotlight following its streaming debut. What began as a divisive theatrical release earlier this year has now translated into a genuine streaming phenomenon.
‘The Drama’ has officially become the number one most-watched movie on HBO Max in the United States, according to FlixPatrol data reported by CBR. After just a single day on the platform, the film had already blown past competition ranging from ‘The Mummy’ to both new ‘Mortal Kombat’ adaptations.
Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, the filmmaker behind ‘Dream Scenario’ and ‘Sick of Myself,’ the black comedy stars Zendaya as literary editor Emma Harwood and Robert Pattinson as museum director Charlie Thompson. The two play an engaged couple whose wedding week unravels after a shocking, deliberately unmarketed revelation threatens to derail everything.
The film’s premise centers on a happily engaged couple put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails, according to its official synopsis. Mamoudou Athie and Alana Haim round out the central cast as the couple’s best man and maid of honor, whose own reactions to the revelation only deepen the fallout.
‘The Drama’ first hit theaters back on April 3, quickly becoming one of A24’s biggest commercial successes, pulling in $132 million worldwide against a modest $28 million budget. That box office run made it, at the time, the third highest-grossing film in the studio’s history, trailing only ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and ‘Marty Supreme.’
Critical reception has remained solidly positive without being universal, with the film currently holding a 76% score from critics and 78% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Writing for SlashFilm, Bill Bria described the film as an “uncomfortable dramedy” in which Zendaya and Pattinson deliver some of their sharpest work yet.
The streaming success arrives during what’s shaping up to be a career-defining stretch for both leads. Zendaya has spent 2026 juggling roles in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey,’ while also wrapping the third season of ‘Euphoria,’ and Pattinson has similarly kept busy with ‘The Odyssey’ alongside her. The pair will reunite once more later this year in Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Three,’ also starring Timothée Chalamet, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 18.
Beyond its US dominance on HBO Max, ‘The Drama’ has also been charting internationally, landing in the top slots on platforms including Neon TV in New Zealand and Paramount+ in Canada. That kind of global streaming traction suggests the film’s polarizing subject matter, rather than scaring viewers off, may actually be what’s driving them in.
Have you watched Zendaya and Robert Pattinson's 'The Drama' yet?
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