Anne Hathaway’s Mother Mary Finds a Second Life on Streaming

Anne Hathaway’s Mother Mary finds a second life on streaming

Anne Hathaway has had a remarkably busy 2026, appearing in The Devil Wears Prada 2 with Meryl Streep, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the erotic thriller Verity and the dinosaur film The End of Oak Street.

Among those projects, however, her most unusual performance arrived in a far less commercial film. A24’s Mother Mary struggled during its cinema run, but the experimental thriller is now attracting fresh attention on HBO Max.

The streaming turnaround is a useful reminder that unconventional films can find their audience after leaving cinemas. Like an overlooked title discovered in an arcade news feature, Mother Mary is gaining visibility beyond its original launch.

What is Mother Mary about?

Directed by David Lowery, Mother Mary combines psychological drama, supernatural horror and a story about the personal cost of artistic success. Hathaway plays a troubled global pop star preparing for a major comeback performance.

Mary turns to Sam Anselm, her former best friend and costume designer, played by Michaela Coel. The pair have been separated for years, and Mary needs Sam to create a new dress for her return to the stage.

The reunion soon becomes an examination of their damaged creative partnership. Their unresolved feelings push the film away from a conventional backstage drama and towards something considerably stranger.

A supernatural presence begins to haunt both women, taking the form of a writhing mass of red fabric. What starts as a tense meeting between estranged collaborators gradually develops into an encounter with the atmosphere of an exorcism.

A distinctive cast and divided reception

The supporting cast includes Hunter Schafer, known for Euphoria and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes; model Kaia Gerber, who appeared in Bottoms; Jessica Brown Findlay from Downton Abbey and Brave New World; and FKA twigs, who appeared in The Crow and Honey Boy.

Lowery brings the atmospheric, unconventional style associated with his earlier films A Ghost Story and The Green Knight. The result is a film that asks viewers to accept an unusual blend of music-industry drama, emotional confrontation and supernatural imagery.

The response has been mixed, but the film’s critical standing is stronger than its box-office result. Mother Mary holds a 69% critics’ score and a 60% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Why streaming may suit the film

Mother Mary is climbing HBO Max’s movie rankings after its theatrical run failed to build substantial commercial momentum. FlixPatrol reports that it is among the platform’s top-performing films, indicating that streaming viewers are now giving the project a closer look.

Its slower, more experimental approach may be easier to appreciate at home, where audiences can approach it on their own terms rather than choosing it among a crowded cinema schedule. For viewers who enjoy unusual visual storytelling, it may be worth adding to a watchlist.

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For anyone interested in how cinema, music and design intersect, Mother Mary offers an unusual combination. It may have missed its moment at the box office, but its streaming performance suggests that its audience was still waiting to find it.