PLOT TWIST! We might have one more good summer movie left this season, and it’s headed to theaters on Friday.
David Robert Mitchell’s “The End of Oak Street,” which has seen delay after delay, not to mention a title change, is finally starting to screen for critics — I’m watching it tomorrow evening — and reactions have so far been positive. Even actual critics, and not just influencers, are singing its praises.
You can scroll through the reactions below, but all this is to say: if the film is, in fact, good, how in the hell did Warner Bros. bungle the marketing for this $85M dinosaur movie? “Oak Street” is currently tracking toward a $15M opening, and that’s mostly because it has barely received any support from its studio.
If you remember, Mitchell’s film was originally titled “Flowervale Street” and was supposed to be released in May 2025 before Warner Bros. delayed it by more than a year to August 2026. Why? We’re not really sure.
The film stars Ewan McGregor, Anne Hathaway, Christian Convery, and Maisy Stella. Set in a suburban neighborhood during the 1980s, the story centers on a family going through a difficult period. Without warning, their entire community — Flowervale’s Oak Street — is mysteriously transported back to prehistoric times by an unknown supernatural phenomenon.
A few people I spoke to last year who had attended a test screening described the film in much the same way as these first reactions — it delivers suspense and feels like an old-school Spielberg movie. No surprise, given that the film is set in the ’80s and has that safe PG-13 rating, which it supposedly pushes to its limits.
We shouldn’t be surprised by the quality. Mitchell, best known for the decade-defining horror film “It Follows,” and whose last feature was released eight years ago (“Under the Silver Lake”), is one hell of a talent, and it’s great to have him back in the fold. Hopefully, he’s delivered again with “Oak Street.”
“A Statement” stars Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, and John Turturro. The film marks the return of McCarthy, a filmmaker we haven’t heard from in a while. It’s been five years since “Stillwater,” starring Matt Damon.