Sony had been planning to give director Chris Weitz’s horror film They Listen a theatrical release on August 25th of 2023, but in May of last year they decided to delay the release an entire year, pushing They Listen to August 30, 2024. By the time that date rolled around, the movie had been given the new title Afraid (or AfrAId)… and neither the new title nor the new release date worked out for the movie at the box office, because it only ended up making $9 million at the global box office. Just two weeks after its theatrical release, Afraid has now been given a digital release and is available for rent on Amazon’s Prime Video for $9.99. It can also be purchased for the price of $14.99.
Afraid‘s physical media release will follow on November 5th, when it comes to Blu-ray and DVD with the following extras: – 5 Deleted & Extended Scenes including Alternate Ending – Dark Side of AI
Afraid comes our way from Sony, Blumhouse, and Depth of Field. Weitz produced the film with Jason Blum and Andrew Miano. Bea Sequeira, Dan Balgoyen, Britta Rowings, and Paul Davis served as executive producers. Filming took place in Los Angeles back in December of 2022.
In AFRAID, Curtis (John Cho) and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new home device: a digital family assistant called AIA. Taking smart home to the next level, once the unit and all its sensors and cameras are installed in their home, AIA seems able to do it all. She learns the family’s behaviors and begins to anticipate their needs. And she can make sure nothing – and no one – gets in her family’s way.
John Cho (Searching) is joined in the cast by Katherine Waterston (Alien: Covenant), Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), Lukita Maxwell (Shrinking), Riki Lindhome (Wednesday), Keith Carradine (Fear the Walking Dead), Ben Youcef (SEAL Team), and Wyatt Linder (Little America).
Chris Weitz went uncredited on his feature directorial debut American Pie, which he directed alongside his brother Paul Weitz. He has gone on to direct Down to Earth, About a Boy, The Golden Compass, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, A Better Life, and Operation Finale. They Listen is a continuation of a working relationship between Weitz and Cho that stretches all the way back to American Pie. Weitz has only directed Cho in two movies previously, American Pie and Down to Earth, but Weitz was a producer on American Pie 2, American Wedding, American Reunion, See This Movie, In Good Company, Bickford Shmeckler’s Cool Ideas, American Dreamz, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Columbus, and A Happening of Monumental Proportions, all of which had Cho as a cast member. Weitz also co-created the short-lived TV series Off Centre, which starred Cho.
Will you be watching Afraid now that it has been given a digital release? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and if you caught the movie during its theatrical run, let us know what you thought of it!