Hurry Up Tomorrow: The Weeknd Film & Album Explained

The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye) is releasing both a psychological thriller film and a sixth studio album under the same name in 2025, creating genuine confusion about whether “Hurry Up Tomorrow” refers to the movie, the music, or both. One drops first as his most ambitious musical work yet; the other arrives in theaters as his feature acting debut. Knowing which is which—and what each actually offers—makes all the difference.

Film Genre: Psychological thriller · Album Songs: 22 · Album Length: 1 hr 24 min · Lead Star: The Weeknd · Album Label: XO / Republic Records

The table below lays out the core facts separating film from album.

Is Hurry Up Tomorrow a good film?

No reviews exist yet—May 16, 2025 is still the target release date. What can be assessed is the pedigree: director Trey Edward Shults, whose previous features It Comes at Night (2017) and Waves (2019) earned critical respect for psychological intensity. The cast includes Jenna Ortega (Official Lionsgate trailer) and Barry Keoghan (Rotten Tomatoes hub page), both established performers with strong recent visibility.

Reception signals from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb

Rotten Tomatoes has a hub page for the film listing producers Kevin Turen, Harrison Kreiss, Abel Tesfaye, and Reza Fahim (Rotten Tomatoes hub page). IMDb has cast data filed, though user ratings accumulate only after premiere. The critical question is whether Shults’s atmospheric style translates to mainstream audiences beyond The Weeknd’s fanbase.

Early buzz on plot and cast

Trailer footage confirms the insomnia-themed odyssey premise and Ortega’s presence as a stranger figure. The Weeknd appears as a fictionalized version of himself—a device that worked in Safdie Brothers’ Uncut Gems cameo but carries different stakes in a full narrative. Harper’s Bazaar describes the film as loosely inspired by The Weeknd’s career, centering on a pop star on the verge of mental breakdown meeting a woman who pulls him into an transformative experience (Harper’s Bazaar entertainment).

Is Hurry Up Tomorrow a horror film?

The consistent description across multiple sources is “psychological thriller,” not horror. W Magazine identifies it as a psychological thriller (W Magazine film coverage), and Harper’s Bazaar echoes “suspense thriller” (Harper’s Bazaar entertainment).

Genre breakdown from Wikipedia and IMDb

Wikipedia’s entry classifies the film under psychological thriller categories. The plot centers on a musician plagued by insomnia pulled into an odyssey with a stranger who unravels his existence—more existential crisis than jump-scare territory. The distinction matters for audience expectations: thriller suggests tension and psychological complexity, while horror implies visceral threat.

Thriller vs horror distinctions

Director Shults’s previous work It Comes at Night walked the thriller/horror line, suggesting he knows how to use ambiguity without committing to either genre fully. Given his quote calling it “a mix of psychological thriller and drama,” the film leans toward internal conflict over external threat. The insomnia premise itself is inherently psychological—dealing with mental state deterioration rather than supernatural elements.

What will the Hurry Up Tomorrow movie be about?

W Magazine’s synopsis describes a musician plagued by insomnia who gets pulled into an odyssey with a stranger who begins unraveling the very core of his existence (W Magazine film coverage). Wikipedia’s entry specifies that Tesfaye is struggling with depression and insomnia when pulled by a mysterious fan figure played by Ortega (Wikipedia film entry).

Plot summary from official sources

The film serves as a companion piece to the album of the same name (W Magazine film coverage), with the soundtrack featuring 16 original tracks and 10 album songs (Wikipedia film entry). The narrative appears loosely inspired by The Weeknd’s own career trajectory, fictionalizing his rise and the psychological toll of celebrity.

The Weeknd as fictionalized self

Abel Tesfaye is credited by his real name in production materials (ELLE Australia entertainment), and the film is based on the album rather than reverse-engineered from it. This suggests the artistic vision originated with the music—the film grew from songs already written. The character Tesfaye plays is understood to be a version of himself, similar to his cameo in Uncut Gems (2019) but expanded into a fully realized narrative (W Magazine film coverage).

Did Hurry Up Tomorrow album flop?

Streaming numbers are significant but don’t yet add up to a clear verdict. The album released January 31 via XO and Republic Records (Harper’s Bazaar entertainment), containing 22 tracks running approximately 84 minutes.

Album performance metrics

Spotify lists 22 songs on the album. Chart positions and first-week sales figures are available through standard industry tracking, though complete commercial reception data requires verification from music industry sources. The album’s relationship to the film creates a unique situation—the companion piece may outperform typical album trajectories if the film generates renewed interest.

Sales and streaming data

The sixth studio album’s performance is measured against The Weeknd’s previous releases including After Hours and Dawn FM. Without confirmed first-week numbers in the verified facts, any performance assessment must acknowledge this gap. What is confirmed is the album’s scope: 22 tracks represents one of his longest albums, suggesting ambitious artistic intent over commercial optimization.

Is Hurry Up Tomorrow a flop?

The film hasn’t released yet and the album lacks confirmed commercial benchmarks—calling either a flop requires information that doesn’t exist. The more honest question is whether the dual release strategy carries inherent risk.

Film vs album performance outlook

For the film: Lionsgate distribution, Shults’s directing reputation, and Ortega’s current cultural visibility suggest the production has structural advantages. For the album: XO/Republic’s release infrastructure and The Weeknd’s established streaming base provide solid footing.

Pros and cons for each

The film’s upside rests on Shults’s atmospheric competence and a cast that brings butts to seats in other contexts. The downside is that The Weeknd leads the film, and a musician’s screen presence doesn’t automatically translate to dramatic capability. The album’s upside is immediate availability—it’s already streaming, already generating playlists and discussion. The downside is the same dual-release pressure: if the film underperforms, the album gets dragged into the conversation. For those interested in the latest royal happenings, you can find comprehensive coverage at $Latest Royal News Today.

The timeline

Seven years of development separate the film’s seeds from its release, with the album arriving as a bridge to the theatrical launch.

What we know—and what we don’t

The confirmed facts about Hurry Up Tomorrow form a solid foundation: psychological thriller starring The Weeknd as a fictionalized version of himself, directed by Trey Edward Shults, co-starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, releasing May 16, 2025 via Lionsgate (W Magazine film coverage)(Official Lionsgate trailer)(ELLE Australia entertainment). The sixth studio album released January 31 with 22 tracks (Harper’s Bazaar entertainment).

Wikipedia lists additional cast details—Barry Keoghan as manager Lee, Riley Keough in voice roles, Ivan Troy as young Abel—though confidence levels vary by source tier (Wikipedia film entry). The Fandom wiki mentions Gabby Barrett in cast, but this remains unverified at lower confidence (The Weeknd Fandom wiki).

It’s a mix of psychological thriller and drama. I honestly feel like I’ve never seen a movie quite like it.

— Trey Edward Shults, director

A musician plagued by insomnia gets pulled into an odyssey with a stranger who begins to unravel the very core of his existence.

— Official synopsis, W Magazine

For fans weighing whether to catch the album now or wait for the film, the calculus is straightforward: the album stands alone as a 22-track work available immediately. The film arrives May 16 and presumably gains power from seeing the full companion piece in context. The question isn’t whether either is a flop—it’s whether The Weeknd can hold both projects simultaneously and deliver on the promise that Shults’s atmospheric storytelling and Ortega’s current visibility create.

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The thriller stars Jenna Ortega in a pivotal role, with comprehensive cast breakdowns and early reviews highlighting its potential impact.

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