Overview

• Early notices report a roughly 93–94% Rotten Tomatoes score, with several critics calling it one of the strongest Stephen King adaptations in years.
• King said he conditioned the adaptation on depicting realistic, graphic violence and criticized superhero films for showing destruction without visible human cost.
• The studio staged a treadmill screening where attendees had to keep above 3 mph for the 108-minute runtime, with Lionsgate saying the emotional intensity proved the toughest challenge.
• Cast and crew describe a physically punishing shoot, with Cooper Hoffman saying they walked up to 15 miles a day in extreme heat and totaling close to 400 miles over production.
• Francis Lawrence directs the R-rated, 108-minute dystopian drama starring Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, with Mark Hamill as the authoritarian figure overseeing the contest.