Melissa Leo's 94-Minute Horror Movie Is Officially Paramount+'s Biggest Streaming Hit

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Director André Øvredal's 2026 horror movie "Passenger" may not have blown the box office away, but it has shot to the top of Paramount+ film charts following its release last week on August 20.

Not to be confused with 2023's road trip thriller "The Passenger," Øvredal's "Passenger" stars Jacob Scipio ("Bad Boys for Life") and Lou Llobell ("Foundation") as a young couple who embark on a romantic new life on the road, living out of their van. Of course, the vanlife vibes are soured after they witness another driver being gruesomely killed by a mysterious entity, which then begins to stalk them. In addition, Oscar-winner Melissa Leo ("Frozen River," "The Fighter") plays a stranger who seems to know about the demonic creature, and she might be the key to helping them survive it.

This film had the misfortune of releasing in theaters just one week after "Obsession," the unstoppable horror phenomenon that recently crossed the $500 million mark at the box office. "Passenger" got completely steamrolled, grossing just $31 million worldwide. But it's currently the biggest movie hit on Paramount+, sitting in the No. 1 spot on the streamer's Top 10 movies chart (via FlixPatrol). 

André Øvredal first gained attention from horror fans with the 2010 found-footage mockumentary "Trollhunter," which pulled off some impressive large-scale visual effects despite its small budget. He followed that up with "The Autopsy of Jane Doe," a supernatural tale that takes place almost entirely in a basement-level morgue. Both movies were widely praised by critics, as was Øvredal's take on the creepy kids'-horror classic "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark."

"Passenger" received much more mixed reviews. Its critical score of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes is in line with Øvredal's previous movie, "The Last Voyage of the Demeter," which similarly flopped at the box office in 2023. /Film's own review of "Passenger" called it "jump-scare heavy nonsense," adding that "while [Øvredal] attempts to inject some style into 'Passenger,' he simply can't overcome a clunky script and two highly uninteresting lead characters."

Still, if you've enjoyed Øvredal's previous movies (or you really love jump scares), then it's worth giving "Passenger" a watch — especially if you're already a Paramount+ subscriber and have nothing to lose but time. If you're not, "Passenger" is also available to rent or buy on digital via Prime Video.