Brolin finds a cure for streaming fatigue in 'Weapons'

Josh Brolin says his latest project, Weapons, is a refreshing change from what he describes as repetitive, uninspired content dominating streaming platforms.

Speaking to Collider, the Oscar-nominated actor said he was drawn to the horror mystery directed by Zach Cregger because it defies genre conventions.

"Right now, with so much content, you're just watching things on whatever streaming service you're on, and you're just going, 'Why is this so boring, man? Why?'" Brolin said. "It's all the same," he continued.

"And then somebody not only takes the horror genre, but then messes with it and does something on the edge of absurdity — sort of humorous — so it's keeping you off balance enough for it to have an emotional impact."

Weapons, which co-stars Julia Garner, follows a small community thrown into chaos when all but one child from the same class vanish on the same night at exactly the same time. The mystery forces the town to confront what — or who — is behind the disappearances.

The film opened to strong box office results, earning $42.5 million in its first weekend — more than $10 million above industry projections — and has received positive reviews from both critics and audiences.

Cregger, whose 2022 film Barbarian was widely praised, told The Hollywood Reporter that horror remains one of the few genres still allowing large-scale creative risks. "Without horror, you go to the theatre and you get people in tights for $200 million, and there's not a lot of room for risk in those movies," he said.

"I dearly wish that we could have cool, edgy weird comedies back in theatres. Or dramatic fare for adults. I feel like there's not a lot of movies for grown-ups anymore."