Jenna Ortega Hits A Career Low With Hurry Up Tomorrow — Critics Slam, But Fans Defend
Jenna Ortega's latest film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, struggles with critics but finds unexpected support from audiences, marking another divisive chapter in her post-Wednesday career.
Jenna Ortega walks into 2025 with more audience love than critical acclaim. Her latest film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, continues a trend that’s become familiar, where critics aren’t buying in, but viewers are showing up anyway. The psychological thriller, directed and edited by Trey Edward Shults, pairs Ortega with Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, and Barry Keoghan. It’s also a visual companion to The Weeknd’s sixth studio album, and his first major leap into feature filmmaking.
A Star-Studded Psychological Thriller That Falls Flat with Critics
The movie didn’t exactly open strong. At first, the critic score hovered at rock bottom, hitting a flat zero before crawling up to a still-bleak 13% (per Rotten Tomatoes). Meanwhile, the audience proved far more forgiving, handing it a 70%, which shows a sizable gap in the disconnect between general viewers and film reviewers.
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As far as The Weeknd is concerned, it’s another shaky start in scripted entertainment, dropping even lower than his heavily criticized HBO series The Idol. Some critics didn’t hold back as words like “self-indulgent” and “dull” made the rounds, with reviews emphasizing a lack of plot and too much style over substance.
According to critic’s reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, JoBlo’s Movie Network’s Chris Bumbray called it “an excruciating vanity project,” while Entertainment Weekly’s Jordan Hoffman described the movie as “The nearly plot-free movie is self-indulgent, overly serious, and, worst of all, just plain dull.”
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Despite all that, fans of The Weeknd seemed to find something worth holding onto as many mentioned the cinematography and performances as highlights, and some suggested that if you’re already tuned into The Weeknd’s vibe, the film might work better for you.
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One fan lashed out at the movie pundits, saying, “Better than what the critic reviews are saying and trolls on the internet. One scene shows Abel acting his a** off and the rest of the film is intense. Great film with great music, acting, visuals, story etc.”
Another echoed, “I can’t understand these bad reviews. The movie was awesome and now I understand the hype. Abel brought something so new and unique in cinemas screens and it’s worth watching!!”
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A third added, “The symbolism was amazing. Truly a movie you have to really think to understand what’s going on. Nonetheless pretty good movie overall!”
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Jenna Ortega’s Career Has Been a Rollercoaster Since Her Breakout
Jenna Ortega’s been acting for over a decade, but her recent streak began when Scream and Wednesday pushed her into a different tier of recognition. She stacked up projects like X, The Fallout, Studio 666, and Scream VI between 2021 and 2023. However, since then, not every role has landed as cleanly. In Finestkind, she hit her lowest critic score at the time (28%). Then came Miller’s Girl and Winter Spring Summer or Fall, which both failed to impress critics but held up a little better with general audiences.
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Jenna Ortega found a temporary high point in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in 2024, which was met with solid approval across the board. But then came Death of a Unicorn, an A24 horror-fantasy blend that started off her 2025 with mixed results.
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Now, Hurry Up Tomorrow officially takes the spot as her lowest-rated film on record from critics. Even with the better audience score, that 13% stings.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is currently playing in theaters.
