Hey, look — somebody actually bought “Sacrifice.” I thought this film would remain orphaned — then again, that cast must’ve surely helped.
I’m sure you’ve heard of this film already. It world-premiered at TIFF 2025 in September and earned a 37% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the festival’s worst-reviewed premiere. The cast includes Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Salma Hayek, John Malkovich, Charli XCX, and Vincent Cassel.
No U.S. buyer had emerged over the last nine months, but today we’re learning that Netflix has decided to acquire “Sacrifice,” purely as a theatrical play — which has me wondering whether they may have also picked up Gavras’ upcoming Louvre heist project. They previously backed Gavras’ “Athena,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2022.
“Sacrifice” plays as a satirical jab at eco-celebrity culture: a glitzy Greek gala is interrupted by a doomsday cult demanding human sacrifice to stave off environmental collapse. However, after a promising setup, the film unravels into shallow celebrity satire. It’s surprisingly flat.
The disappointment is sharpened by Gavras’ trajectory. Where 2018’s “The World Is Yours” was a Cannes breakout and “Athena” earned him a marquee slot at Venice, “Sacrifice” is a noticeable step down — a film that Venice passed on and Toronto exposed to withering reviews.
As previously reported, Gavras recently settled on his next film and is heading back to France to shoot it. Seven months after what the French press described as “the heist of the century” at the Louvre, he’ll be turning it into a film. It seems quite obvious that Netflix would have interest in acquiring that as well.
Many thought this one might show up this awards season, especially given the recent pedigree of Kwedar and his writing partner Clint Bentley. The film wrapped production in October 2025.